The Trick of Life and Love Episode 8 Recap
> The Trick of Life and Love Recap
Ning Chengming questioned Li Qian about their past sleeping arrangements, finding the bedroom bed too small and wondering if they always slept so close. Li Qian quickly redirected, insisting he should sleep in the study upstairs due to his injured arm and her supposedly bad sleeping habits, which she claimed would disrupt him. Ning Chengming didn't press the issue, telling her to get some rest.
Meanwhile, Qi Wei attempted to decipher a cryptic message left by Ning Chengming, a series of seemingly nonsensical words like "Swallow, starve, spit cats, all dead." He felt Ning Chengming was deliberately testing his intelligence with such enigmatic codes. Pondering his interactions with Li Qian, Ning Chengming drew on a blackboard, analyzing their behaviors and placing a large question mark next to their supposed relationship. Later, while tidying, Ning Chengming discovered a love letter.
He began reading it aloud, noting it was addressed to "Mr. Ning" and expressed deep attraction, declaring it the first but not the last. Li Qian, who had just brought him a plant, looked panicked. Ning Chengming asked if she wrote it. Li Qian flashed back to her university days, where a senior had asked her to write a love letter to Ning Chengming in exchange for economics study notes.
Back in the present, Li Qian swore she hadn't written it. Ning Chengming, however, revealed his ability to recognize handwriting and pointed out that the letter's flaws – vagueness, redundancy, and contradictions – were identical to those in her college essays. He then admitted that this realization made him "still happy." Suddenly, Yu Qingqing and Li Chen appeared at Li Qian's door, calling out for her. Panicked, Li Qian pulled Ning Chengming down, telling him to hide.
From their hiding spot, they heard Li Chen and Yu Qingqing outside. Li Chen noted Li Qian wasn't answering her phone and wasn't home. He then expressed his suspicion that something strange happened during Li Qian's trip to T Country, feeling she was intentionally hiding something from him. As they decided to leave, Li Chen offered to drive Yu Qingqing home, which visibly pleased her. Yu Qingqing then reminisced about her first encounter with Li Chen.
It was at a basketball court where Li Qian had introduced him as her "second brother." Yu Qingqing was immediately captivated by his charm. A younger Li Qian had playfully warned Li Chen not to pursue her best friend, and Li Chen, in turn, introduced himself to Yu Qingqing as her "Chen Ge" (Brother Chen), establishing a brother-sister dynamic. Back at Li Qian's place, Ning Chengming asked for the love letter back.
Li Qian retrieved it from a hidden spot and passed it to him before wishing him a good night. Elsewhere, Li Chen informed his father, Li Jingfan, about a rumor circulating within Guanding that Ning Chengming had disappeared in T Country and suggested it might be connected to Li Qian. Concerned, Li Jingfan immediately ordered the cancellation of the cooperative acquisition with Gu Zhe's company, Star & Quark, until the situation was thoroughly investigated.
Li Qian, meanwhile, was determined to retrieve the car accident video. She realized that every past misstep led to more complications. Her goal was to find the video, which a killer had taken from her, to prove to Ning Chengming that she had saved his life, rather than merely following her boss's orders.
She consulted an expert who found no video data on her phone but suggested it might be recoverable if she had been online when she first played it. The expert mentioned a mysterious but highly skilled "master" who could help. Li Qian agreed, stating she would back up her phone and buy a new one before submitting the old phone for recovery. At work, Yu Qingqing learned that Gu Zhe had taken a day off to avoid Li Qian.
She called him, and Gu Zhe claimed to be unwell. Yu Qingqing informed him that the acquisition plan with Lirong had been terminated. Gu Zhe was relieved and pleaded with her not to tell Li Qian, to which Yu Qingqing begrudgingly agreed, saying she was doing it for Li Qian, not for him. After hanging up, she muttered about his "uselessness." Gu Zhe's sister, Gu Lan, unexpectedly showed up at his house, having guessed his door code.
She explained that their parents were on a trip and had taken the housekeeper, leaving her with nowhere to eat. She then revealed she knew about his plan to sell Star & Quark to Li Jingfan. Fearing his parents' reaction, Gu Zhe quickly apologized and agreed to let her stay.
Gu Lan then asked about Yu Qingqing, whom she'd seen with him at a party, and teased him about his long-standing, unconfessed crush on Li Qian, which Gu Zhe quickly denied was anything more than friendship. Gu Lan noticed Gu Zhe's popular gaming account and, ignoring his protests, announced her plan to transform his "gaming big-V" identity into a relationship advice guru. Gu Zhe furiously tried to stop her, but Gu Lan trapped him under a net.
She began responding to an online query from Ning Chengming, who was asking how to determine if someone was in a romantic relationship. Gu Lan, posting as Gu Zhe, advised Ning Chengming to send direct messages like "What are you doing? I miss you," and "Are you thinking of me?" During a meeting, Li Qian received these messages from Ning Chengming but deliberately ignored them. Gu Zhe, still trapped, furiously called Gu Lan a "jerk."
Li Qian and Yu Qingqing attended a meeting with Guanding's legal director, Cao Mei, and personnel director, Jiang Chao, to discuss a design plagiarism issue. Yu Qingqing recognized Jiang Chao as an ex-boyfriend. They had planned for Yu Qingqing to play the "red face" (aggressive negotiator) while Li Qian played the "white face" (calm negotiator), but Cao Mei's immediately direct and dismissive approach annoyed Yu Qingqing.
Cao Mei explained that Guanding's employee, formerly of Star & Quark, had submitted the disputed design, which was likely to win awards, and offered to buy the copyright. Yu Qingqing argued that the design belonged to Star & Quark, but Cao Mei countered that the copyright was registered to the individual, not the company. As the negotiation grew tense, Ning Chengming continued to message Li Qian, who ignored him.
Simultaneously, Qi Wei received a message and left the meeting to make a phone call, stressing the importance of "no mistake." Li Qian, overhearing, suspected he was still searching for Ning Chengming. Yu Qingqing, reaching her breaking point, rejected Guanding's implied offer of 500,000 yuan as an insult and threatened legal action. Li Qian then stepped in, proposing a joint development partnership.
She argued that a public scandal would hurt both companies, especially the rapidly expanding Guanding, which needed a clean record for future growth. She proposed Star & Quark hold 55% ownership and Guanding 45%, leaving Guanding to decide the joint project's public ranking. Swayed by her logic, Cao Mei agreed to the terms. Later, before heading home, Li Qian deleted all of Ning Chengming's messages.
As she stepped into her apartment, Ning Chengming suddenly pulled her in and pinned her against the wall. Flustered, Li Qian inwardly mused, "The doctor only said he lost his memory, not his brain," and concluded that sometimes avoidance was the most effective strategy.
