Original subtitles

[Love Between Lines]

[Episode 18]

Two bowls of wontons, please.

Okay.

Sit wherever you like.

Auntie Li, long time no see!

Here to see your best friend again?

She's been waiting here for a while.

She just went to the restroom.

I know.

She said she already bought everything.

Go ahead and sit.

What would you like to order?

Two pan-fried buns, please.

Okay, no problem.

Why did she get so much takeout?

I'm starving.

This is for you.

Okay.

Sorry, this seat is taken.

It's okay.

You can sit here for a bit if you like.

These are our local zongzi.

Thank you.

Guangming?

Guangming!

Weren't you supposed to get me wontons?

What's going on here?

And where are my super-famous pan-fried buns from Xiyuan?

[I just went to the restroom and hung the pan-fried buns on the shop's door.]

Where are they?

[Those are the super-famous pan-fried buns from Xiyuan. Remember to grab them.]

Right there, aren't they?

I'm sorry.

I'll transfer the money to you.

No need.

Okay.

Next time...

Next time, you can treat me.

Honey...

Sorry, I'm late.

Not too early, not too late—

just right on time.

You two haven't been here in a long time, right?

It's my fault.

I've been too busy with work lately.

It's good for young people to stay busy.

Enjoy your meal.

Honey,

I'll have plenty of time to spend with you now.

I've completed all the resignation procedures

at Longyuan,

and the new project has been confirmed too.

Then we really should

thank Chi Xin properly.

You already know about my cooperation with Zhiteng?

I was planning to...

tell you about it when we got home.

After the last exchange meeting,

Zhiteng approached me for cooperation,

and Chi Xin is the person in charge of coordination.

Why don't we

invite Chi Xin for a meal sometime soon?

To avoid any misunderstandings in the future.

I've already met her.

At the park near the Zhiteng building.

Honey.

Listen to me...

Chi Xin and I are strictly professional.

We're work partners.

We only get together

to discuss the project.

I have no feelings for her whatsoever

and never will.

Yes.

She tried to make a move on me.

But I refused.

I deflected all of it.

She's my client.

She has her projects,

and I have my company.

I can't just ignore my company and...

I was wrong.

I'm also very tired.

Can we talk about this at home...

Stop talking!

Wang Guangming.

Every word you're saying now...

is destroying our past.

Let's just stop here.

Well,

I'll give you three days.

Pack up your things and move out.

This meal is on me.

Zhao?

Why are you sitting out here?

Why don't you go inside?

Did you forget?

When your boss rented your loft before,

I returned the keys to you.

I'll give them to you in a bit.

Help me up.

My feet have gone numb.

Are you okay?

I'm fine.

Don't worry.

But you'll have to put me up for a few days.

Mr. Pei.

Come in.

The financial report.

Have a seat, Director Shen.

You've been quite busy lately.

I haven't seen you around.

During the year-end settlement,

some accounts weren't verified in time.

I've been busy with that

the past few days.

The financial report was delayed by a few days.

Sorry for causing you some concern, Mr. Pei.

It's fine.

I'm on good terms with Mr. Xie.

A quick word with him will sort it out.

By the way,

I heard from Wu Bin

that you rear-ended someone the other day.

You're not usually so careless.

What happened?

That day...

I was in a hurry to pick up my son from kindergarten.

I just wasn't paying attention.

Mr. Pei,

if there's nothing else,

I'll get back to work.

Give me your phone.

Your son is quite adorable.

He looks a lot like you.

If there's financial fraud,

the first one

they'll investigate is you— the Financial Director.

Do you want your son

to grow up with a father in prison?

That day, outside my father's office,

when I saw you leaving,

I already felt something was off.

So I had Wu Bin follow you.

On top of that, you kept delaying the financial report.

What's the problem?

Tell me.

Director Shen,

there's no need to hide things between you and my father from me.

After all, I'm a Pei too.

It was all the Chairman's idea.

The company's revenue

hasn't been great over the past couple of years.

I had no choice.

What exactly is going on?

Explain it to me clearly.

Come in.

How long were you

planning to hide the financials from me?

I just found out today

that the company has been

artificially inflating net profits and fabricating transactions

for the past few years.

Shen Jie has been scrambling to pull funds from outside sources

to cover the shortfall on the books.

Dad.

If profits are declining,

I can figure something out.

I can start some new projects

or transfer some assets.

But why take such a big risk?

Financial fraud

is illegal.

In business,

people only help those who are already successful;

no one helps those in need.

Only when a company shows good profits

can it secure more loans,

and only then can it have more opportunities to make money.

So that's why you had someone doctor the financial reports,

hoping to turn losses into profits with Lyman's project?

We must proceed with Lyman's project.

As long as the payments come back smoothly,

other risks are negligible.

But once this is discovered

and people start digging,

can the company really withstand an investigation?

Whether it's fines or prison sentences,

Forma's reputation will be completely ruined!

All these years...

All these years,

I've put my heart and soul

into keeping Forma standing.

And you?

From the day you were born,

you've only climbed a few steps,

yet you're standing at the top of the building,

looking down on everything.

Remember this:

I paved those steps for you.

And you've already walked halfway up.

If the building ever collapses,

you won't escape either.

You should understand...

what needs to be done.

Ms. Hu!

I was just talking with Mr. Pei...

Sorry.

I think I left my phone at the reception desk.

Could you help me check?

No problem. Please wait a moment.

Mr. Pei,

I'm here to pick up the latest supplier information.

Sorry to keep you waiting.

Ms. Hu.

Tell me,

if the foundation has already been laid,

does that mean construction

can only follow the original blueprints,

with no possibility of change?

The foundation does determine

a building's structure and direction.

It's the basis of everything, after all.

It's difficult to change.

But it's not absolute.

Even if the foundation is completed,

as long as the load distribution isn't altered,

you can modify

the building's exterior design.

During construction,

if there are any new building technologies or standards,

as long as they don't compromise structural safety,

changes can be made.

Mr. Pei,

so what ultimately decides a building's final appearance

isn't the foundation,

but your vision.

I'll take these materials back to the studio first.

Goodbye.

Mr. Xiao,

here's the latest supplier information from Forma.

I guarantee nothing is missing.

Why are you the one delivering this?

Hu Xiu asked me to bring it over.

She said she had nothing to report,

so she didn't come.

Where is she?

She's off work.

She mentioned her friend has a lot going on lately,

so she's going to help out this weekend.

Wang Guangming, it's already been three days.

Come back quickly,

pack your things, and move out.

Xiaorou,

Guangming has gastric bleeding and is in the hospital.

You should go there now.

We're the same—

when something weighs on our minds,

we keep ourselves busy like spinning tops,

never stopping.

But...

don't push your body too hard.

I'm not.

They're pressing for the final installment.

I want to finish this project quickly

so I can pay the final installment.

That way...

maybe you'll stay.

Wang Guangming.

Now, when you speak,

I find myself instinctively weighing

how sincere you really are.

Not just now,

but all those beautiful moments

we shared before—

I feel confused about everything.

Do you remember our first date?

On that street behind the school.

That's when you held my hand for the first time.

At that time, we were both

so nervous our palms were sweaty,

and we smiled foolishly at each other.

I think

at least then, you were sincere, weren't you?

Back then,

my school was far away.

Whenever you had time,

you'd take the subway over 20 stops to see me.

You'd bring lots of delicious food from downtown

and tell me

that even if I grew to 200 pounds,

you would never abandon me.

I think

at least then, you were sincere.

Near graduation,

I got sick and was hospitalized.

I didn't dare tell my parents about it.

At the time, Hu Xiu was

overwhelmed with her father's surgery.

You were the one who stayed up night after night to take care of me.

I think

at least then, you were sincere with me.

So, when did you stop

being sincere?

At the class reunion,

when everyone praised us as a model couple,

were you genuinely happy,

or were you thinking about the person you were going to meet afterward?

When you gave me some freebie as our anniversary gift,

were you trying to get away with it,

or did you truly just forget?

Did you ever feel any regret?

I keep thinking about all the kind things you did for me,

all while being tormented by those questions.

Xiaorou.

I can swear to you—

nothing ever happened

between Chi Xin and me,

except for that one kiss.

I pushed her away that day.

I went to explain to her...

Do you know why I'm telling you all this?

Because our past was too beautiful.

I really can't accept any impurities

in our relationship.

You don't need to tell me

how far things went between you two,

what things are like now,

or what will happen in the future.

People who keep asking those questions

are just looking for reasons to forgive.

But I'm not.

Wang Guangming,

let's both move on.

Xiaorou...

But I still love you.

I can't move on.

We have so much history together,

yet you can let it all go in just a few days?

I haven't let go.

But it doesn't matter if I haven't.

I've decided to stop loving you,

so you've become nothing to me.

Take care of yourself.

Drawing on Souler's ideas,

I've created a new dessert.

I'm planning to call it "Rebirth."

Any dessert buddies want to try it?

I think this name was my suggestion.

Glad I could help.

Congratulations on breaking through your creative block. Keep it up!

I've also opened a coffee shop.

We should exchange ideas sometime.

"Rebirth?"

I guess the name reflects you perfectly.

Congratulations on finding yourself again.

Mr. Gong, you're here.

What are you looking at? You look so happy.

I just made a new special,

and I'm checking everyone's feedback.

The feedback is pretty good.

By the way, are those pipes fixed now?

All replaced with new ones.

Good.

Want to try the new drink?

It's on the house.

Cocktail coffee.

People usually have coffee in the morning and alcohol at night,

but yours is two in one.

Alright, I've got to try it.

Making new specials

and setting up collaborations—

you're quite efficient, Ms. Zhao.

I have no choice.

The café scene in Shanghai is too competitive.

If I want to build brand recognition,

I need to come up with something new.

This was

just an appetizer.

This is the main course.

[ME Murder Mystery Game Shop & Regard Café Collab Event Proposal]

A collab event?

Earlier,

I was chatting with people at the Virtual Party on this app

and got inspired.

I think our two businesses could collaborate.

I could

design coffee drinks inspired by murder mystery games.

After players finish their games,

they can come

to my Regard Café with their ticket stubs

and try them for free.

We can also

organize offline events

at Regard,

regularly hosting gatherings for those players.

That way, the storylines

from the murder mystery games could extend into

many new side stories,

which could even turn into limited-edition board games.

I believe

if this catches on,

your club

will definitely attract many new players.

What?

You think I'm just trying to ride on your club's popularity?

No.

Not at all.

It sounds good.

I'll go back and look into it.

I didn't expect

you'd be like

a different person after just a few days.

[Divorce Agreement]

Sorry, wrong file.

What do you think of Ms. Zhao's proposal?

I think it's good. Worth collaborating on.

You came all the way to my place

just to talk about this?

You invested money,

so of course, I needed to ask your opinion.

Do whatever you think is best.

You have no objections?

This trip was unnecessary then.

Xiao,

are you on a hunger strike?

You don't even have any water in your fridge.

Forgot to buy some.

Well, this is a pleasant surprise.

You guys—none of you

are normal.

One's practicing asceticism,

not even drinking water,

and barely answers when you talk to him.

The other one seems to

have a split personality.

A few days ago, she was acting as if she were possessed,

but now she's hyper, like she's on steroids.

And there's one more—

a violent maniac,

venting all her anger through murder mystery games every day.

Violent maniac?

Will you cover this for me?

I mean Hu Xiu.

She has been spending the whole weekend

playing murder mystery games.

What's up with her?

She's gone on a killing spree.

Literally.

Qin Xiaoyi,

you're under arrest.

Take him away.

Move.

Xu Xiuzhen,

I have no grievances with you.

Why are you doing this to me?

-Move! -Xu Xiuzhen!

Chen Xuemei,

calm down!

Hold on, let's talk this through calmly!

Let's talk...

Wait.

Why is it always Qin Xiaoyi who ends up dead?

Li Yue has had it pretty rough these past two days.

Let's take a break, everyone.

Okay.

I have a massage gun at home.

I'll bring it for you tomorrow?

Don't bother.

I'll just do some stretches later.

I heard from Gong Huaicong

that you've been going to his club a lot for murder mystery games lately.

Is it really necessary to go there so often?

What's wrong with that?

Aren't you tired?

There's been a lot of work lately.

Don't waste your energy

and neglect what's really important.

Mr. Xiao,

may I ask what important matters I have neglected?

I've completed the technical disclosure work

with Forma.

From design concepts to construction points,

and addressing the contractors' questions about the drawings—

I've explained everything clearly.

I've also finished the construction progress plan

and submitted it to Ms. Zhou for confirmation.

And I've already collected Forma's supplier information

and given it to you.

I've also followed up with Lyman about their financial report.

Mr. Xiao, may I ask— since I've completed all the work,

what exactly is my problem?

Nothing.

Then please, Mr. Xiao,

don't overly concern yourself

with employees' personal arrangements.

What was I even doing?

I can't afford to offend him,

but at least I can avoid him.

Zhao,

you've been coming home later and later lately.

After finishing work at the café

and having meetings with Gong Huaicong,

it's already 11 PM before I realize it.

Oh, right.

Here.

[Free Pass]

If I'd known I could get free passes,

I should've

gotten you to collaborate

with Mr. Gong sooner.

Your ulterior motives are so obvious.

Gong Huaicong has been giving me

all the fill-in tickets these days,

and those still aren't enough for you?

Enough, really.

It's all thanks to you

that I got to play so many free games.

Remember that.

There's a delivery for you.

To you.

[Divorce Agreement]

Zhao...

What are your plans going forward?

The Regard Café account

has reached over 2,000 followers.

I'm planning

to get the collab event started right away.

Who knows, maybe it'll hit 10,000.

You all know about

our two stores collaborating, right?

I've developed several new coffee drinks.

Their names and flavors

are all inspired by the murder mystery games.

Later,

they'll be available at Rongcheng Café

and my café simultaneously.

I invited you all here today

so you can sample our new products in advance

and give me some feedback.

Let me introduce them to you.

This latte with ice cream

is called "Rongcheng Snowy Night."

What's the name of

this milk pudding coffee?

"Bits of Silver."

Xiu came up with the name.

This basic milk coffee

is called "Perfect Partners."

Ms. Zhao, how's the discussion going?

Why did you two come here together?

Didn't you say you wouldn't get involved in the collaboration?

Why the sudden change of heart?

Your intentions are crystal clear.

I'm here to discuss

the specific details with Ms. Zhao.

We still have two hours before the evening session anyway,

so there's no rush to go back.

Let's treat this as a get-together

and chat for a while.

Okay.

Come on, sit with us.

Zhiyu, sit here, come on.

Hello,

excuse me.

Which lady are these flowers for?

Not for me.

I just became single again.

I-Isn't there a name written on the card?

There is a name.

It says...

"Baby."

I'll make a call to ask.

My boyfriend and I

have been dating for less than a week.

We didn't expect these flowers to be for you.

After all, weren't you...

I did have a crush on Zhiyu before.

I thought Qin Xiaoyi was handsome,

so I couldn't separate the character from the person playing him.

It's fine to get immersed,

but sooner or later, you wake up.

Ms. Hu, you must understand what I mean.

You've played so many sessions before.

Wasn't it

all because of Qin Xiaoyi?

No, no, I...

I like him...

Qin Xiaoyi's character setup.

Actually, after playing so many sessions,

I think either of them could play the role just as well.

True.

Xiu, haven't you been playing in the sessions

where Li Yue plays the role lately?

Zhiyu,

actually, Li Yue has been performing really well recently.

Don't be discouraged.

Just fix the issues, and you'll be fine.

What issues do I have?

Well...

sometimes you try too hard to look cool.

You should try to get into the character's mind more.

For example, that line at the gate of Qincheng—

you could raise your pitch like this:

"Welcome to Rongcheng."

Right?

Or lower it, like this:

"Welcome to Rongcheng."

What do you think?

I think Group B's

Qin Xiaoyi is just average.

I mainly came for Group A's.

The two portrayals are different.

It's normal to have different preferences.

Group A's Qin Xiaoyi is sharper,

more perceptive, and precise.

Those who like him find him very charming,

but others find him too dangerous and oppressive.

Group B's Qin Xiaoyi is sunnier and clearer.

He's closer to a real-life person—

he makes mistakes and feels fear.

That makes his tragedy easier for the audience to relate to.

Perhaps he's not strong enough,

but that kind of portrayal isn't necessarily bad.

We're clearly different.

How can you say we're the same?

You're here again.

With a perk this good,

it'd be a shame to waste it.

Li Yue is playing in this session, right?

Liu Rushi,

a literary scholar.

You must obtain the sapphire ring

♪ What identity do you use to enter and exit the role? ♪

from Qin Xiaoyi

in order to gain a chance to survive.

♪ Reality and fantasy are parallel and intertwine ♪

♪ About the characters and relationships of love ♪

What are you doing here?

♪ Like a multifaceted gem, obsessed with each side ♪

A player canceled at the last minute.

I'm here to fill in.

♪ Time and space interlace; it's still you ♪

Thank goodness.

Otherwise, with you in the session,

I'd end up dead again at your hands without even knowing how.

♪ Love overlaps in destiny ♪

You'd better tell me

that Gong Huaicong is playing Qin Xiaoyi this session.

♪ You made me change my impromptu promise ♪

♪ Two hearts slowly get closer amidst sparks ♪

Is it still possible to drop out now?

No, it's too late.

♪ I can feel my heart racing ♪

♪ Ah ♪

Everyone, welcome to Rongcheng.

♪ The whole story revolves around you ♪

The blizzard has blocked the roads.

I apologize for the inconvenience, distinguished guests,

but you'll have to rest in Rongcheng for now.

♪ Ah ♪

♪ To heal each other ♪

♪ Ah ♪

Li Yue.

I'll play in this session.

I've already spoken with Gong Huaicong.

He said a scheduled player couldn't make it,

so you need to fill in.

Okay.

Thanks.

The fill-in ticket I gave Hu Xiu

is for the Sunday afternoon session.

Murphy's Law never fails.

The more you don't want to see him,

the more he appears.

Finally, there's someone who can keep you in check.

You don't want to see him that badly—

you're afraid you can't beat him, aren't you?

What?

You want to use him against me

to get some payback?

No, no, not at all.

I came hoping we could team up.

As long as I can get Qin Xiaoyi's ring,

I can use its serial number

to find out the mysterious backer behind him.

So you're trying to trick me

into doing your dirty work?

What are you talking about?

I'm not tricking you.

As long as we can get that ring,

I'll do whatever you say.

Hello, sir.

Your coffee.

Sorry, sorry, sorry.

Commander Qin.

I'm really sorry. Let me help you clean up.

It's fine.

I came to give you urgent news.

There are some people

causing trouble over at the Military Affairs Office.

Please come with me quickly to check it out.

Miss,

I believe this ring belongs to me.

Yes.

I was planning to take it

and then return it to you.

Thanks for your kindness.

Commander Qin.

I like your ring.

I'll give you five gold bars for it.

It's not for sale.

If you won't sell it, I'll just keep following you.

I'll die without the ring anyway.

Then follow me if you must.

If you're with me,

you won't die,

with or without the ring.

You!

How about this, Miss Liu?

If you buy me a stick of candied hawthorn,

I'll give this ring...