Episode Summary
Episode 14 follows two main storylines: Guo Mingshan impulsively proposes to a hesitant Lin Kexin, and they begin planning a wedding fraught with compromise and Lin Kexin's visible lack of enthusiasm. Meanwhile, Sheng Kuang and Li Lefan's relationship hits a major snag over the bride price amount after his family buys a house, leading to a heated argument and Li Lefan walking out on him in the rain. Friends like Qin Tianyue, Feng Qingming, Ye Lang, and Cheng Xu offer support and get entangled in the couples' issues, while Feng Qingming's mother misinterprets his concern for Qin Tianyue as romantic interest. The episode ends with Ye Lang helping Li Lefan potentially reconcile with Sheng Kuang.
Spoiler Alert
Recap & Spoilers for Episode 14:
Things kick off with Xia Wanqing literally chasing down Wang Da'an, demanding to know why he bolted from their chat. Wang Da'an spins around, totally miffed, complaining that Xia Wanqing set him up with someone who "clashes" with him instead of someone "compatible." He goes full-on superstitious, ranting that next time she needs to get the potential date's zodiac sign, birth time, and exact geographical coordinates (seriously, longitude and latitude!) to ensure good vibes. Xia Wanqing looks like her brain is about to short-circuit and asks Cheng Xu if their "Peng Peng Le" app can even handle that level of detail. Cheng Xu, bless his practical heart, basically says, "Uh, big data is science, dude, not voodoo."
Meanwhile, over at Guo Mingshan's place, he's taking very good care of Lin Kexin. She mentions wanting noodles, so he immediately plays chef and whips up two bowls. She's impressed, but he gets all deep, saying the flavor isn't just the noodles, it's the magic of eating together – something he's apparently longed for. And then, cue the dramatic music (or maybe just awkward silence?), he pulls out a ring and proposes! Lin Kexin is completely blindsided, clearly thinking, "Whoa, slow down there, buddy!" This is moving way too fast for her.
But Guo Mingshan? He's on cloud nine. He practically skips into the Destiny office, handing out wedding invitations to Qin Tianyue and Ye Lang, and passing around celebratory candy like he just won the lottery. Yep, he and Lin Kexin are officially engaged! While most offer genuine congratulations, our guy Ye Lang is already sweating, muttering under his breath about the real important issue: how much cash he's gonna have to cough up for the wedding gift (the classic 'fen zi qian' dilemma!).
Later, Qin Tianyue and Feng Qingming approach Lin Kexin, offering their company's services to plan the wedding. Lin Kexin initially says she needs to discuss it with Guo Mingshan, but Feng Qingming smoothly replies they already got his okay – and he said Lin Kexin gets the final decision on everything. She agrees to let them handle it, but guys, the look on her face... it's pure melancholy. She's going through the motions, but her heart clearly isn't in this wedding. Major red flags waving here!
Now, let's switch to our other troubled couple: Sheng Kuang and Li Lefan. Sheng Kuang meets up with Li Lefan to drop a bombshell: the 200,000 RMB bride price (the 'caili') her mom asked for? Yeah, it's too much. His family just put a down payment on a house and they're tapped out. He asks if they can lower it to 50,000. Li Lefan hits the roof. She feels totally deceived, pointing out that his family bought the house before inviting her parents over, making the whole "discussion" a sham – it was just an announcement. Sheng Kuang apologizes profusely for his parents' handling of it, but the tension is thick.
To make matters worse, when Li Lefan's parents are heading back home, Sheng Kuang is supposed to see them off but gets stuck in traffic (or so he claims). Li Lefan tries to cover for him, but her mom isn't having it. Mom pulls her aside and gives her a stern warning: DO NOT agree to the 50,000. She predicts that if Li Lefan caves, Sheng Kuang's calculating family will just sweet-talk her into paying for the home renovations next.
Sheng Kuang eventually shows up, but too late. He and Li Lefan get into a taxi, and the argument about the disastrous family meeting reignites. Instead of acknowledging his family's missteps, Sheng Kuang completely loses it and says something incredibly hurtful – basically accusing her family of "selling their daughter" with the 200,000 caili request. OUCH. That's it for Li Lefan. She furiously gets out of the cab, right into the pouring rain, and walks back to the office.
Back to the awkward wedding planning! Qin Tianyue and Feng Qingming are meeting with Lin Kexin and Guo Mingshan. Lin Kexin tentatively suggests her dream: an outdoor, Western-style wedding with about 30 tables for all their friends and family. Guo Mingshan immediately shuts it down, citing strict regulations from his workplace (huh?) and insisting they can only have 8 tables. Seeing her vision crumble, Lin Kexin just gives up, listlessly saying the wedding is just a formality anyway, so they should just do whatever Guo Mingshan wants. Yikes. The lack of enthusiasm is painful to watch.
At the office, Ye Lang finds Li Lefan completely soaked and heartbroken. Like a good friend (or maybe potential love interest?), he lets her in and makes her instant noodles (the official comfort food of this episode, apparently). Cheng Xu also comes by to offer support, even coaching her through a little stress-relief exercise, encouraging her to yell out her frustrations.
Meanwhile, Feng Qingming is clearly worried about the Guo Mingshan/Lin Kexin situation. He uses some crabs his mom, Chen Meishu, bought as an excuse to go see Qin Tianyue and discuss his concerns. Turns out, Qin Tianyue feels the same way. But Feng Qingming's mom, who considers herself a "gold medal matchmaker," sees her son taking crabs to Qin Tianyue and totally gets the wrong idea! She thinks he's making a romantic move and starts giving him advice on how to woo Qin Tianyue ("Give her the food, then give her clothes!"), promising to be his ultimate wingwoman. This is going to be awkward...
Finally, seeing Li Lefan still down in the dumps, Ye Lang decides to play matchmaker (or maybe just stir the pot a little). He grabs her phone, sends a quick WeChat message to Sheng Kuang, and then immediately retracts it. Classic move! It works like a charm. Sheng Kuang instantly messages back, apologizing profusely and asking her to get hotpot together. Looks like they might be patching things up... for now.
So, we've got one couple barreling towards a wedding neither seems truly happy about, and another couple navigating a minefield of financial stress and family drama. Episode 14 definitely left us with plenty to chew on! Can't wait to see how this all unfolds.
