Episode Summary
In this episode, the search for Wang Xingsheng exposes his past connection to Li Jinyu's mother, Li Lingbai, who he is now blackmailing. Ye Meng discovers Li Jinyu's hidden past, including his former friendship with Gou Kai and his mother's powerful identity, causing a major rift between them. Li Jinyu, in turn, confronts his mother, suspecting her involvement in a past tragedy, and uses deleted security footage to gain leverage over her. The episode ends with the couple estranged and a subplot involving Ye Meng's friend facing a crisis with her indebted ex.
Spoiler Alert
"Deep Affection Eyes" Episode 14: Secrets and Lies Unravel
After returning to his company in Jiangbei, Fat-headed Monk seems to be keeping a low profile. However, Li Jinyu and Ye Meng track him down. After some persistent persuasion and a financial incentive from Ye Meng, Fat-headed Monk finally reveals the whereabouts of Wang Xingsheng. The situation takes a sharp turn when Li Jinyu sees a photo of Wang Xingsheng and realizes it's a man his mother, Li Lingbai, used to associate with, making him aware that things are far more complicated than they seem.
True to his nature, the moment they leave, Fat-headed Monk immediately calls Wang Xingsheng to warn him. Meanwhile, Li Jinyu and Ye Meng split up to search for their target. Tipped off, Wang Xingsheng rushes to a racing club to meet Li Lingbai, with Ye Meng secretly tailing him. Finding the club locked, Ye Meng messages Li Jinyu and Tai Mingxiao for help, waiting anxiously outside.
Inside, Wang Xingsheng gets straight to the point. He tells Li Lingbai that her Hailan Port business is booming and the money she gave him years ago is long gone. It's revealed that Li Lingbai had instigated Wang Xingsheng to commit financing fraud using a real estate project in Ningsui. After he took the fall, she took over the project, and her career flourished. Green with envy, Wang Xingsheng is now back to blackmail her for a much larger sum. Li Lingbai feigns agreement to his demands but is secretly planning to keep him under house arrest.
While waiting for backup, Ye Meng witnesses Li Lingbai driving away from the club. Tai Mingxiao arrives and informs her that the club is owned by Gou Kai. They try to check the security footage, only to find it has been deleted. However, they manage to find a clip from a nearby car's dashcam which shows Li Jinyu at the scene. Tai Mingxiao instantly recognizes him and begins to tell Ye Meng about Li Jinyu's connection to Gou Kai.
Ye Meng learns that Li Jinyu and Gou Kai were once best friends who opened the racing club together. Their friendship shattered after they participated in a memory competition, which Li Jinyu suddenly quit. Tai Mingxiao also reveals that Li Jinyu's mother is the chairman of the Hanhai Group. Ye Meng immediately connects this to Li Lingbai, the woman she just saw, and is struck by the realization of how much of his past Li Jinyu has hidden from her.
At the same time, Li Jinyu confronts his mother, Li Lingbai, directly about her relationship with Wang Xingsheng. He recalls witnessing Wang Xingsheng arguing with a woman in a car years ago, shortly before a woman was reported to have committed suicide at Jiumen Ridge. He had passed this tip to the police, but his mother had angrily scolded him for being nosy. This leads Li Jinyu to suspect that his mother is connected to the death of Ye Meng's mother and that she and Wang Xingsheng share many dark secrets.
In a stunning move, Li Jinyu reveals that he was the one who deleted the club's surveillance footage, and he hands the original video over to his mother. He explains that if he hadn't, it would have fallen into someone else's hands. With this leverage, Li Lingbai is now under Li Jinyu's control, forced to deal with Wang Xingsheng while being unable to act against her son.
Back in their hotel room, Ye Meng questions Li Jinyu about his past with Gou Kai. He admits he didn't tell her because he believed that part of his life was over and would never resurface. However, Ye Meng is deeply hurt by his concealment of the truth and withdraws from him. They spend the night in the same bed but worlds apart, each lost in their own thoughts.
The couple returns to Ningsui to the surprising sight of their grandmothers, who normally can't stand each other, sitting together. They've put aside their feud to discuss a wedding date for their grandchildren, but Ye Meng has no heart for it. Her mood darkens further when she receives a message from her friend, Fang Ya'en, who is in trouble.
It turns out Fang Ya'en's ex, Chen Jian, has massive debts with loan sharks, who have now come to her door. Chen Jian appears and promises he will pay them back, but he is broke. In a moment of desperation, he violently tries to snatch the property deed from Fang Ya'en. Just in time, Ye Meng and Cheng Kairan arrive and manage to subdue Chen Jian, handing him over to the police. As the three of them leave the police station, Li Jinyu also arrives. Sensing the tension between Ye Meng and Li Jinyu, Fang Ya'en asks Li Jinyu and Cheng Kairan to watch her son for a while, so she can take Ye Meng out to talk and clear her head.
