*WARNING*: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD. If you DO NOT want to be spoiled, please DO NOT read. You have been warned.
(image credit: captured by DTLCT)
The search for Xi Le continued. Zi Wen directed them to the club that Ji Huo Ying usually go to and gave Ye Chen Bai Ming Li’s membership card so they could get in. He didn’t want to go with them, stating he didn’t want to get caught in the mess with Ji Huo Ying, so Ye Chen and Ping An went in on their own for the search. A very fierce confrontation took place over the phone as Ye Chen and Ping An were able to acquire Ji Huo Ying’s cell phone number from Zi Wen. However, upon spotting Ji Huo Ying, Ping An didn’t outright beat him up for daring to lure Xi Le into such a place. She did scold him, but it turned into a situation with “the jealous wife trying to break up a lovey-dovey get together”, LOL! She did grab Xi Le but steered her aside toward Ye Chen (for safety), saying how she didn’t blame her since her husband was too crafty. The situation got even more hilarious as Ji Huo Ying’s friends seemed to believe Ping An’s convincing act. Ye Chen and Xi Le were also laughing as they watched nearby. Xi Le seemed to have sober up already or at least beginning to snap out of her drunken state to enjoy Ping An’s show. What convinced Ji Huo Ying’s friends that the story was true was how Ping An had told of Ji Huo Ying’s past words with saying she was like the ‘pearl’ he had given her, etc. (Yeah, the same show he had often put on to impress girls and his usual sweet talk.) It escalated to the point that Ji Huo Ying’s friends have to interfere, grabbing Ji Huo Ying out and preventing him from hurting the pair of ‘mother and baby’ (lol), saying that the baby was innocent. They wanted to pool together some money to aid Ping An yet she turned them down, stating she only wanted her baby to have a father (lol). The others made Ji Huo Ying sing and cheer the baby up (lol).
Outside, Ping An finally revealed her trick by pulling the sweater she had stuffed into her stomach out and put it on while asking Xi Le why she had to go with that “big per…” but stopped herself and changed the words since she had spotted Ye Chen’s unease. (Yes, the name was reserved for him with the ‘big pervert’ title, lol.) As Xi Le started to explain herself, she spotted Zi Wen standing by the car waiting for them. She immediately walked over to him. Ping An attempted to call her yet Ye Chen stopped her, telling her to let Xi Le be. And that was when another confrontation between Xi Le and Zi Wen ensued. He was still sticking with the whole “not good enough for her” and how he should let go when they weren’t so deeply in yet. So he left after some more words as she cried on, telling him she knew he wasn’t those type of people, etc. All the while, Ye Chen and Ping An watched nearby–with Ping An’s face more than worried for her good sister. Yet the sad scene didn’t last too long, because Xi Le was saying how she was somewhat envious of Ye Chen and Ping An, lol. Ye Chen took that moment to put an arm around Ping An to show how loving they were–to which Ping An hit him (LOL). He didn’t mind. It was so funny teasing her.
When they came home all wet from the rain earlier, they were scolded at by Bai Ming Li. However, as Bai Ming Li sent Xi Le upstairs to shower and all, she told Ping An to stay. Fearing something might happen, Xi Le halted along the way to listen in. It was then that Bai Ming Li said she wanted Ping An to be in charge of the new project. Though Xi Le was happy for Ping An yet Ping An herself was very troubled by it. Sure, she would love to have some power. However, it wasn’t that simple. She had to think up of each step carefully, not wanting to make a single mistake. So when she wandered around with Ye Chen the next day, she was racking her brain trying to see how she could take care of the details. Ye Chen made a joke, but that had also made her realized something else. So they got started.
Then came the time when Ping An’s righteous acts didn’t get repay yet almost earned her a slap in the face. It was a big misunderstanding since she thought she was rescuing one of the innocent victims out of Ji Huo Ying’s grasps again. Yet she didn’t realize it was Ji Huo Ying’s sister and he was just using that trick to cheer his sister up. (Or just plain show off.) Ji Huo Ying’s sister, Ji Li Sha had just returned so Ji Huo Ying picked her up and delivered her to the company–just like he’d promised their father. Then came the encounter and Ji Li Sha wanted to slap Ping An after some disagreements. Luckily, Ye Chen was there and was able to grab Ji Li Sha’s hand in time. They quickly cleared the situation up, but not totally and left the scene. Ping An was forced to apologize before she could leave. But she wasn’t too pitiful, she knew it was her mistake so she just apologized and then left, NOT getting bullied any more than she had to endure.
Well-groomed by his father, Ji Huo Ying went out of his way to cause havoc toward everyone again. Well, it was mostly Bai Ming Li’s own doings and he just took it to his advantage. Because he was the one who told the other employees of the “terms” Bai Ming Li told Zi Wen to add to the contract. So Ping An went to confront Bai Ming Li in her office. She was told to go understand the situation before jumping in. Ping An knew she was rash to just jump in but then she asked why Bai Ming Li had to betray their trust in her, etc. After Ping An left, she went outside to bang her head against some wall (literally) and mope. Ye Chen found her there after having a private talk with Bai Ming Li. She wasn’t that mad at Bai Ming Li as she had been in the past. She told Ye Chen it was because she seemed to understand more how busy Bai Ming Li was every day with work and having to take care of the littlest matters. What Ping An was wary of was how to talk to the other employees about the situation. Ye Chen reminded her about the latest project so she said she could go inform them about it, etc. Ye Chen joked that how could Ping An fend without him around, which earned him a sharp look from her.
Much, much later, Ping An and Xi Le were tired out from trying out different outfits at this one shop. It was instructed by Bai Ming Li that the girls dress nicely for the upcoming event so that Bai Ming Li’s reputation wouldn’t be affected. Ping An was sooo tired that she leaned on the ledge of the counter, trying to rest her head. Yet upon hearing that Bai Ming Li had arrived to check on them, she immediately sprung up to greet the boss. (It was indeed cute.) The cuter part was how she almost fainted when Bai Ming Li said they could have the outfits custom-made if they couldn’t decide AND the priceless part was seeing how Bai Ming Li almost smiled but she was able to repress herself.
So the days went by and Xi Le–like how she promised Ping An–continued to pursue Zi Wen yet she had used the method of silently preparing foods or drinks for him with a note but didn’t appear to distract him. While that was going on, Ping An and Ye Chen were moving forward with the kitchen staff with preparing for the upcoming event. And Xi Le was finally able to meet Ji Li Sha. In fact, she was on her way to try on her dress for the upcoming banquet. Yet Ji Li Sha just had to bring out her princess attitude to force one of the salespersons to oblige to her commands, stating she wanted to duplicate the dress that Xi Le have–after failing to get the dress. Xi Le had clarified that she could step down with other outfits, but not this one because her mother had personally chosen it for her. She even bravely dared Ji Li Sha to wear the exact outfit at the upcoming banquet. (Surprising yet it was good to see how Xi Le could stand up for herself at times.)
Away from the dramas, Xi Le was troubled once again by how she had to learn to mingle with the high-class society. It was indeed too much pressure. Considering how she already found it so hard to deal with the Ji siblings. She was pondering if it was possible that she could just simply be Bai Ming Li’s daughter without the other complicated things attached. While she tried to think of a way to resolve those matters, she wanted to look for Ping An. But as she was about to descend the stairs, she spotted Ping An and Zi Wen talking to each other. They were just discussing some items Ping An still had to take care of. She was seeking his opinion over something. He, out of habit, joked with her so naturally, that had caused Xi Le to ponder. This time though, she was just pondering about the pressure of her being Bai Ming Li’s daughter that had caused Zi Wen to not feel comfortable in front of her anymore.
Later on, in Zi Wen’s office, Ping An was forced to write an official report for Zi Wen so he could report about the situation to Bai Ming Li as well. She was, of course, carrying on a long face at the same time as writing–or trying to write. Like she said before, she wasn’t familiar with those reports so telling her to think and write like that was indeed torture. Yet Zi Wen was more than happy to help her with providing different files and manuals. As Zi Wen was pondering how strange it was that Bai Ming Li was punishing Ping An yet was giving her these assignments and he thought it made more sense that Xi Le do it. His thought was interrupted by Ping An using a tie clip as a placeholder for some documents. (Yes, it was the tie clip that she wanted to give to Zi Wen but couldn’t because she found out on his birthday that Xi Le like him as well.) He thought that she had picked it up from somewhere and joked about it. She quickly clarified that she had used a lot of saved up money to buy it but it was just that she wasn’t able to give it out. He clipped it on his tie and said why don’t she give it to him since it fitted with his tie. She nodded her head, thinking that since it was supposed to be his anyway. (But didn’t she forget that she had encouraged Xi Le not to give up? Or was she just thinking of giving him it but just won’t tell him? It was too hard to blame her.) Their little side talk was interrupted by Ye Chen walking into the office. He wanted to break up the little talk (and more so because he had spotted the tie clip on Zi wen’s tie). (Yes, he’d known about the tie clip since she dropped it that one time and he’d retrieved it for her.) When Ye Chen said that he’d waited so long for her, Ping An returned with saying how she still had a lot to write. Zi Wen jumped in and said it was all right, he was supposed to monitor her progress anyway so he would take her home later. Of course, Ye Chen objected and they were in a battle, each grabbing one hand of Ping An’s and putting her in a dilemma. (Who knew a normal ugly duckling like her was so popular, right? Well, at least according to her she wasn’t the least bit a decent girl for someone to look at.) Yet Ye Chen won in the end, reminding Ping An that she still had to attend to tomorrow’s banquet matter and it was already so late. It was then that she turned to thank Zi Wen and told him that she would seek him out later to help with the paperwork matter. Ye Chen hauled her out of there as she was still trying to talk to Zi Wen. (It was so funny!)
Outside, a confrontation took place as Ye Chen was asking Ping An about the tie clip. She said Zi Went wanted it (aka it wasn’t her who initiated it). She then made up more excuses for it to be reasonable (lol) that he’d been helping her with stuff and all. Then she turned to him, finally realizing she had no reason to explain to Ye Chen, and stated that it wasn’t his business. He handed her handbag to her and unlocked the car. She then realized she forgot some paperwork. He didn’t let her go, but told her to get in the car and lock it, because he would go fetch the paperwork for her.
Back inside, Zi Wen was just putting the folders away. Yet when he heard some knocking on his door, he thought Ping An had returned to get her paperwork. Yet it was the thug who he hired to stab him that one time, Hei Zai. That dude had run out of money and wanted some more money for a trip. Zi Wen had no choice but to tell him to meet up at a certain location to discuss further. That wasn’t one of the most interesting developments of the plot. Because the part where Ye Chen returned in time to see Hei Zai walking out was. Hei Zai had used the stairs and Ye Chen had used the elevators so they didn’t meet up. Yet it had given Ye Chen the chance of seeing the dude’s face better and knowing that he wasn’t mistaking. What he was most puzzled about was if Hei Zai had come to look for Zi Wen or Ji Huo Ying.
The day finally arrived. Ping An was seen busy like a bee yet she sure exuded the typical boss aura since she was able to control the situation with her directions to various employees. Though she was a bit shocked that Zi Wen was the one who picked up Xi Le’s outfit but she soon thanked him before delivering it to Xi Le. She didn’t forget to tell Xi Le that Zi Wen was wearing the same color as Xi Le, lol. Before Ping An could look at her dress though, she was called away for business again. So she went.
Outside, it seemed like everything was in tip-top shape. The Ji siblings arrived together and told Zi Wen that they were there to help. (SURE!) As Ji Huo Ying asked if Xi Le had arrived yet, Xi Le answered from the top of a staircase that she was. Indeed, she looked like a princess in the dress. Ji Huo Ying said he had a present for her as Zi Wen extended a hand to help her step down the last few steps. So that was when Xi Le exchanged a look with Zi Wen. Though they soon recovered and Ji Li Sha offered her help with putting the necklace on for Xi Le. What happened next was another round of intensity as Ji Li Sha spotted Ping An walking by with Xiao San and Xiao Si, giving them more directions. She tried to talk down to Ping An and picked on Ping An even more. Obviously, she wasn’t over the other matter yet. Ping An tried to explain as much as she could while keeping cool since it was Xi Le’s big day after all. However, Ji Li Sha went WAY overboard when she said that those chosen foods were really suitable for those who came from the orphanage–which caused a reaction from both Ping An and Xi Le–though Xi Le had shaken her head, signaling for Ping An not to fight back. And even if Ji Li Sha apologized to Xi Le for her comment yet she wasn’t the least bit sorry. (Her face said it all that she meant all the words she said–possibly even more.) The scene soon changed its moods when some of the guests arrived and Zi Wen took it into his hands to introduce Xi Le to them thus breaking up the side catfight for the time being. Ping An was relieved and happy for Xi Le yet she turned off her smile upon seeing Ji Li Sha. But she wasn’t about to start another fight, she just walked off after giving Ji Li Sha a glare. While all that was happening though, Ye Chen was standing by the side and hoping silently that Ping An was truly a hardworking director (of the kitchen staff) and not Bai Ming Li’s daughter.
Just as things were going back to normal and Ji Li Sha might not have an opportunity to attack Xi Le, for the time being, things proved differently that she was indeed a cunning person. She pretended to step over to give Xi Le a toast yet had ended up spilling red wine all over Xi Le’s dress. Though she apologized for her clumsiness, it was way too obvious of her motives. (Well, she did silently say that if she couldn’t have it, no one could–in regard to the dress–before stepping over. SO yeah. It wasn’t an accident.) Ping An, like a good sister, rushed over and helped Xi Le to her room. She, of course, offered Xi Le her dress–since she stated that Xi Le was the “leading lady” today so she shouldn’t be robbed of a fancy dress. So she left the scene after saying if anyone was picking on Xi Le, Xi Le must tell her.
After Bai Ming Li had already appeared and introduced her daughter, clarifying her background and her life before meeting the 2nd husband, the party continued. Bai Ming Li had a face-off with Ji Shi Cheng yet broke it off early since she wasn’t feeling well and wanted to go upstairs to take some more meds, but she had to change her plan because she didn’t want Ji Shi Cheng to find out. Somewhere else, another incident took place when Ji Li Sha strike again. This time, she pushed Xi Le into the pool.