Recaps

After hearing how Sisi’s family worked hard to afford good food, Zhao Qiqi began to question why Li Zifeng and Auntie Li could not earn money or cook proper meals. When she challenged them, Li Zifeng and Auntie Li decided to leave her alone for a few days so she would suffer and return to beg Zhao Cuifeng for money.

• Zhao Qiqi heard how Sisi’s husband and mother-in-law earned money to buy her expensive fruit and compared their efforts with Li Zifeng and Auntie Li’s.
• Li Zifeng returned to find the room wrecked, then blamed himself for losing the necklace and urged Zhao Qiqi to reconcile with her mother.
• Zhao Qiqi questioned why the three of them could not work to support themselves and complained that Auntie Li kept serving instant noodles.
• Li Zifeng accused Zhao Qiqi of looking down on him, then left after insisting she should ask her mother for money.
• Auntie Li met Li Zifeng outside and proposed staying at a hotel to make Zhao Qiqi suffer until she went back to plead with Zhao Cuifeng.

Zhao Qiqi watched Sisi and her husband work together to build a better life, while Song Yutang arranged support for Qiqi and a meeting between Zhao Cuifeng and Du Yu. At home, Jiang Muyan cared for Song Yutang with ginger tea, prompting her to consider letting him sleep in their bed again.

• Sisi brought her construction-worker husband to help Zhao Qiqi clean, and Zhao Qiqi compared his devotion with Li Zifeng's complaints.
• Song Yutang asked Dong Ying to arrange handicraft work and better meals for Qiqi while keeping her safe, and planned a low-key meeting between Zhao Cuifeng and Du Yu.
• Song Yutang returned home and quietly waited while Jiang Muyan finished his work.
• Jiang Muyan brought Song Yutang brown sugar ginger tea after his computer reminded him that her period had begun.
• Song Yutang learned Jiang Muyan had tested more than a dozen brands of ginger tea for her and considered inviting him back to their bed.

Song Yutang worried that Jiang Muyan was uncomfortable sleeping on the sofa, but he declined her awkward invitation back to bed. The next evening, Jiang Muyan appeared at her office in person, and Dong Ying locked them inside together after slipping Song Yutang an unexpected object.

• Song Yutang invited Jiang Muyan back to bed, but he refused because he did not want to pressure her before she was ready.
• Jiang Muyan messaged Zhao Chuan to ask whether the arrangements were ready.
• Song Yutang grew suspicious when Jiang Muyan messaged that he was waiting in the underground parking garage and asked her to come alone.
• After checking a photo and video-calling him, Song Yutang remained uncertain and asked him to come to her office.
• Dong Ying recognized Jiang Muyan, brought in refreshments, slipped Song Yutang an object, and locked the office door behind them.

Song Yutang and Jiang Muyan joked about a box of condoms before leaving her office together, where Secretary Dong covered for them with an elaborate story. In the parking garage, they hid from Jiang Sinian, but a noise drew him toward their hiding place.

• Jiang Muyan picked up a box Song Yutang had dropped, teased her about its contents, and pocketed it after she threw it away.
• Jiang Muyan told Song Yutang how to explain their hospital visit and took her out of the office.
• Secretary Dong implied they had been intimate and claimed she had erased the surveillance footage to protect them.
• Song Yutang spotted Jiang Sinian in the parking garage and pulled Jiang Muyan behind a pillar.
• Song Yutang's numb leg made her fall against Jiang Muyan, knocking over a trash can and alerting Jiang Sinian.
• Jiang Sinian approached the pillar while Song Yutang and Jiang Muyan decided how to avoid being discovered.

Song Yutang and Jiang Muyan avoided Jiang Sinian by pretending to kiss, then Jiang Muyan surprised her with roses and took her shopping. The chapter ended with them trying several milk tea flavors and Song Yutang choosing her favorites.

• Song Yutang suggested knocking Jiang Sinian out, but Jiang Muyan pulled her close and kissed her instead as Jiang Sinian approached.
• Song Yutang pretended to eagerly return Jiang Muyan's kiss, and Jiang Sinian mistook them for a couple and left the garage.
• Jiang Muyan gave Song Yutang a bouquet of roses and told her he wanted her to have the things other women had.
• Jiang Muyan took Song Yutang to a shopping mall, bought her mango and grapefruit fruit tea, and saw how much she enjoyed it.
• Jiang Muyan bought five more drinks for Song Yutang to sample, and she chose the mango and grapefruit drink and a milk tea as her favorites.

Song Yutang and Jiang Muyan went shopping for clothes, but after a sales assistant accused Song Yutang of being a mistress, Jiang Muyan defended her and returned everything. They left hand in hand, and Song Yutang quietly thanked him for always standing up for her.

• Jiang Muyan took Song Yutang to a clothing store and encouraged her to choose whatever she liked.
• Song Yutang tried on a qipao she had chosen for Li Xiulan, and Jiang Muyan picked clothes for his mother, Jiang Zhixia, and Tuantuan.
• A sales assistant accused Song Yutang of being a mistress, so Jiang Muyan returned all the purchases and declared that Song Yutang was his legally wedded wife.
• Song Yutang backed Jiang Muyan's decision, and the two left the store empty-handed after the manager processed the returns.
• Jiang Muyan held Song Yutang's hand as they headed to another store, and Song Yutang thanked him for defending her; he told her there was no need to thank him, honey.

Song Yutang and Jiang Muyan spent the day shopping, and Jiang Muyan surprised her with a pink diamond necklace he had bought to thank her. The chapter ended with him telling her that, as his wife, she deserved to be treated better.

• Jiang Muyan helped Song Yutang choose clothes, then joked about drinking all the milk tea because he hated wasting money.
• Song Yutang learned how difficult Jiang Muyan's early days at the studio had been and admired what he had achieved.
• Jiang Muyan took Song Yutang to a rooftop restaurant, where she realized she had mistaken the hotel for a romantic room booking.
• Jiang Muyan gave Song Yutang the pink diamond necklace he had bought at auction to thank her for supporting Jiang Zhixia.
• Song Yutang tried to refuse the expensive gift, but Jiang Muyan told her that treating her well was his responsibility as her husband.

Jiang Muyan took Song Yutang on a date, gave her an expensive necklace, and hinted at a diamond ring, but she was not ready to accept their marriage as an emotional commitment. During dinner, they spotted Jiang Sinian, Jiang Shiya, and Wen Jingyan in a messy confrontation.

• Jiang Muyan fastened a necklace worth over two hundred million yuan around Song Yutang’s neck, and she admitted she liked it.
• Jiang Muyan suggested that Song Yutang still needed a diamond ring, but she withdrew her hand and said they did not need wedding rings because they were already married.
• Jiang Muyan accepted that Song Yutang needed time to develop feelings and changed the subject to their meal.
• Song Yutang realized Jiang Muyan had arranged a complete date, and they joked together over dinner.
• Song Yutang and Jiang Muyan noticed Wen Jingyan covered in cake while Jiang Shiya cried in Jiang Sinian’s arms and claimed she had only been joking.

Wen Jingyan’s birthday celebration turned into a confrontation after Jiang Shiya shoved her face into the cake and then played the victim. Jiang Sinian blamed Wen Jingyan and accused her of helping Song Yutang, while Jiang Shiya’s babyish act drew ridicule from nearby diners.

• Jiang Shiya shoved Wen Jingyan’s head into the birthday cake, and Wen Jingyan forced Jiang Shiya’s face into it in return.
• Jiang Sinian rescued Jiang Shiya, defended her as a child, and demanded that Wen Jingyan apologize.
• Jiang Shiya threatened suicide, then stabbed Wen Jingyan’s elbow with a table knife and claimed Wen Jingyan had deliberately blocked it.
• Jiang Shiya accused Wen Jingyan of siding with Song Yutang, while Song Yutang and Jiang Muyan agreed that Jiang Shiya needed further treatment.
• Two women nearby mocked Jiang Shiya’s baby act and discussed her history of mistreating a beautician.
• Jiang Sinian accused Wen Jingyan of being Song Yutang’s informant.

At Wen Jingyan’s birthday dinner, Jiang Sinian sided with Jiang Shiya and demanded his wife apologize, but Wen Jingyan escaped with the bodyguards’ help. After drinking himself sick, Jiang Sinian continued insisting she had to apologize, while Song Yutang and Jiang Muyan watched and questioned his behavior.

• Jiang Shiya threatened suicide and demanded that Wen Jingyan kneel and slap herself, and Jiang Sinian ordered Wen Jingyan to comply.
• Wen Jingyan slapped Jiang Sinian, threw a plate at him, and ran out while the assistant and bodyguards refused to stop her.
• Jiang Sinian sent Jiang Shiya home and ordered people to follow Wen Jingyan, then drank heavily as Song Yutang and Jiang Muyan watched.
• The assistant helped Jiang Sinian to the restroom, where he vomited and continued insisting that Wen Jingyan had to apologize to Jiang Shiya.

Jiang Sinian drunkenly revealed his resentment toward Wen Jingyan, whom he accused of marrying him for money despite admitting that she had excelled in school and at work. Song Yutang and Jiang Muyan learned that Jiang Sinian’s family had arranged the marriage because they considered Wen Jingyan capable of compensating for his shortcomings, and Jiang Muyan secretly recorded his confession.

• Jiang Sinian told his assistant that Wen Jingyan had brought her troubles on herself and insisted she was a gold digger who never loved him.
• Jiang Sinian recalled how Wen Jingyan helped him in college and admitted he had mistaken her paid errands for affection before accusing her of pursuing his wealth.
• Jiang Sinian complained that Wen Jingyan would not obey him by staying home or caring for Yaya, while his assistant defended her sincerity and criticized his expectations.
• Song Yutang noticed Jiang Muyan recording Jiang Sinian’s drunken remarks in the restroom so they could preserve his confession.
• Jiang Sinian revealed that his family had accepted his marriage to Wen Jingyan because they believed her abilities would keep him from wasting the family fortune.
• Jiang Sinian raged that Wen Jingyan had succeeded in business and earned more praise than him, claiming she was trying to prove she was better than he was.

Song Yutang and Jiang Muyan realized Jiang Sinian used Jiang Shiya to psychologically torment Wen Jingyan, then beat him up in the restaurant restroom. After dinner, Song Yutang agreed to let Jiang Muyan pursue her, and she asked him for a copy of his recording, which he guessed was for Wen Jingyan.

• Song Yutang and Jiang Muyan discussed how Jiang Sinian used Jiang Shiya to belittle and control Wen Jingyan, and condemned his behavior.
• Song Yutang and Jiang Muyan entered the restroom, knocked out Jiang Sinian's assistant, and beat Jiang Sinian before returning to their seats.
• Jiang Muyan texted Zhao Chuan to delete the restaurant's surveillance footage, then asked Song Yutang if she was happy after the beating.
• Jiang Muyan formally asked to keep pursuing Song Yutang, and she agreed to give him a chance and go on more dates.
• After dinner, Song Yutang asked Jiang Muyan for a copy of his video, and he asked whether she wanted it for Wen Jingyan.

Song Yutang agreed to help Wen Jingyan, reassured by Jiang Muyan’s support, and shared a passionate kiss with him after their date. Back home, Li Xiulan brought her food and recognized the expensive pink diamond necklace, then guessed Song Yutang had been on a date with Little Gu after noticing her swollen lips.

• Song Yutang explained that she wanted to help Wen Jingyan because she was being treated unfairly, and Jiang Muyan told her he would support her.
• Jiang Muyan kissed Song Yutang outside the elevator and wished her good night.
• Jiang Muyan began sending Song Yutang the video, then pretended to be in a vegetative state when Li Xiulan came to the door.
• Li Xiulan brought Song Yutang sweet fermented rice balls and fussed over her after learning she had drunk a little wine.
• Li Xiulan recognized Song Yutang’s pink diamond necklace and mistakenly concluded that Little Gu had given it to her.
• Li Xiulan pointed out that Song Yutang’s lips were swollen, prompting her to question whether Song Yutang had gone to dinner with Little Gu.

Song Yutang’s in-laws encouraged her to pursue another man, unaware that she had kissed Jiang Muyan, who was pretending to be unconscious. After showing Wen Jingyan a video of Jiang Sinian’s jealousy and manipulation, Song Yutang learned that Wen Jingyan had already begun to recognize his behavior.

• Li Xiulan mistook Song Yutang’s swollen lips for evidence of a date with Little Gu and urged her to find happiness, even offering to help her divorce Jiang Muyan.
• Jiang Muyan stopped pretending to be unconscious and began working to gather evidence against the second branch before Song Yutang could be married off.
• Song Yutang showed Wen Jingyan a recording of Jiang Sinian’s drunken remarks and admitted that she had ordered the bodyguards to beat him.
• Wen Jingyan thanked Song Yutang and revealed that she had gradually realized Jiang Sinian was using Jiang Shiya and her emotional distress to manipulate her.

Song Yutang listened as Wen Jingyan explained why she stayed in her unhappy marriage and continued enjoying the Jiang Family’s wealth. Wen Jingyan warned her to beware of Jiang Sichen, and Song Yutang offered her a belated birthday cake.

• Wen Jingyan told Song Yutang that her youthful love for Jiang Sinian had been worn away by years of manipulation and humiliation.
• Wen Jingyan admitted she stayed because she wanted wealth and status, and Song Yutang accepted that she had made her own choice.
• Wen Jingyan said she felt guilty about benefiting from resources that should have belonged to Song Yutang’s family, but Song Yutang told her not to blame herself.
• Wen Jingyan warned Song Yutang that Jiang Sichen was a cunning threat who might retaliate after the Jiang Family’s recent losses.
• Song Yutang thanked Wen Jingyan for the warning and gave her a cake to make up for her missed birthday celebration.

Song Yutang celebrated Wen Jingyan’s birthday and helped her open up about their friendship, then prepared the name and opening of Jiang Guoqiang’s private dining restaurant. The restaurant’s ribbon-cutting was interrupted when Gourmet Association elder He arrived to challenge Jiang Guoqiang to demonstrate his cooking.

• Song Yutang gave Wen Jingyan a strawberry cake and a diamond brooch for her birthday, and Wen promised to remain her friend even if their families fell out.
• Dong Ying told Song Yutang that the restaurant staff and opening plans were ready, so Song wrote the name “Food Without Worry” in Empress Dowager Duanyi’s authentic hand.
• A week later, Jiang Guoqiang and Li Xiulan joined their family at the restaurant’s ribbon-cutting, while Zhao Cuifeng and others booked tables to support the opening.
• Butler Wang arranged the firecrackers, and Jiang Boyan lit the fuse as the restaurant officially opened.
• Gourmet Association elder He arrived with several members and asked Jiang Guoqiang to cook dishes so he could seek his guidance.

He Bingzheng brought a group of culinary judges to challenge Jiang Guoqiang at Food Without Worry, but Jiang insisted that customers—not professional judges—should decide whether the food was good. Song Yutang backed him, and He Bingzheng ended by accusing them of being afraid to accept his challenge.

• Song Yutang recognized He Bingzheng as the head of the He family and the rival who had competed with her for the cookbook.
• Jiang Guoqiang stepped forward to meet He Bingzheng, then refused to let the invited culinary judges alone decide the outcome.
• Jiang explained that Food Without Worry served everyone equally and proposed that the restaurant's guests and staff vote on the dishes.
• He Bingzheng argued that professionals should judge the food, but Jiang stood by his customers and said their satisfaction was what mattered.
• Song Yutang supported Jiang and told He Bingzheng to take his proposed competition elsewhere if he could not accept the public's judgment.
• He Bingzheng accused Jiang of being afraid to accept the challenge because he had bought the cookbook and called himself the God of Cooking's successor.

Jiang Guoqiang agreed to let the opening banquet guests judge a cooking match after He Bingzheng challenged his claim to He Imperial Cuisine. The chapter left the two men preparing to compete over eight dishes, with He Bingzheng staking his pride on the outcome.

• Jiang Guoqiang refused to let gourmets alone judge the match, and He Bingzheng reluctantly agreed to let everyone present vote.
• Dong Ying revealed that He Bingzheng had brought no ingredients or cookware, while Jiang Boyan and Xiao Tuantuan mocked him for expecting to use the restaurant's supplies.
• He Bingzheng agreed to pay to use the restaurant's ingredients and cookware after Jiang Guoqiang warned that the match could not delay the customers' meal.
• The group agreed that Jiang Guoqiang and He Bingzheng would each cook the same eight He Imperial Cuisine dishes for an anonymous vote.
• Song Yutang proposed that a win would establish Jiang Guoqiang as an orthodox heir, and He Bingzheng declared he would call him Master if Jiang defeated him.

Song Yutang watched Jiang Guoqiang clash with He Bingzheng at the private kitchen’s opening, then met secretly with Jiang Muyan, who thanked her for helping his parents. Their near-kiss was interrupted when Li Xiulan and Jiang Boyan caught them together.

• Jiang Guoqiang needled He Bingzheng as they headed into the kitchen, and Dong Ying explained that He Bingzheng bullied rival chefs and planned to charge He Family Catering ten times the cost of the ingredients.
• Song Yutang praised Dong Ying’s preparations and went to greet the guests, where she found Jiang Muyan disguised in a mask, glasses, and a sun hat.
• Jiang Muyan told Song Yutang he had evidence of his second-branch relatives’ financial crimes and that the investigation into his third uncle’s death was nearly complete.
• Jiang Muyan thanked Song Yutang for opening a private kitchen for his parents, then leaned in and kissed her through his mask.
• Li Xiulan and Jiang Boyan appeared at the doorway and caught Song Yutang and Jiang Muyan together.

Li Xiulan and Jiang Boyan mistook Jiang Muyan, disguised as Gu, for Song Yutang’s lover and offered to support their relationship. Jiang Boyan grew suspicious when he noticed Gu’s voice and build resembled his brother’s.

• Li Xiulan and Jiang Boyan hurriedly shut the door and checked the curtains after catching Song Yutang and Jiang Muyan kissing.
• Li Xiulan recognized Gu from the auction, while Jiang Boyan asked why he had kissed Song Yutang.
• Li Xiulan and Jiang Boyan assumed Song Yutang deserved to date again because Jiang Muyan was in a vegetative state, and offered to help her divorce him and meet Gu in secret.
• Jiang Boyan questioned whether Gu genuinely loved Song Yutang, and Jiang Muyan agreed to treat her well.
• Jiang Boyan noticed that Gu’s voice and build resembled Jiang Muyan’s.

Jiang Muyan and Song Yutang struggled to hide his identity from Li Xiulan and Jiang Boyan by claiming he had plastic surgery. After Jiang Muyan fled when Jiang Boyan confronted him about kissing Song Yutang, Li Xiulan and Jiang Boyan questioned whether he was reliable and suggested Song Yutang date Teacher Zhang instead.

• Jiang Muyan and Song Yutang told Li Xiulan and Jiang Boyan that Jiang Muyan had plastic surgery to resemble Jiang Muyan and had been injured in a car accident.
• Li Xiulan expressed hope that Jiang Muyan would wake from his coma and gave Song Yutang permission to date Jiang Muyan if she liked him.
• Song Yutang claimed Jiang Muyan had undergone further surgery to match Jiang Muyan's physique and was suffering from infected sutures.
• Jiang Boyan accused Jiang Muyan of running away after kissing Song Yutang, and Jiang Muyan pretended to have an allergic reaction before escaping.
• Li Xiulan and Jiang Boyan warned Song Yutang about dating an unreliable man and proposed that she try dating Teacher Zhang.

Song Yutang’s family misunderstood her relationship with Gu, while Jiang Guoqiang competed against He Bingzheng in an anonymous cooking contest. After He Bingzheng won the second dish, Jiang Guoqiang’s approach to practical, evolving cooking won support as the early results turned against He.

• Li Xiulan and Jiang Boyan advised Song Yutang to leave Gu if he would not take responsibility, and Song Yutang let them keep misunderstanding for now.
• The chefs’ eight dishes were served anonymously, and the diners began voting after tasting them.
• He Bingzheng objected when Jiang Guoqiang received twenty-five votes for the first dish, but diners explained they preferred Jiang Guoqiang’s flavorful, homestyle cooking.
• He Bingzheng won the second dish by fifty votes to eleven, while Jiang Guoqiang calmly said that good food and reasonable prices would bring customers back.
• Jiang Guoqiang won the third dish after adapting a traditional dessert with butter, and Song Yutang and others defended his willingness to improve traditional recipes.

Jiang Guoqiang narrowly defeated He Bingzheng in their cooking contest, and Song Yutang challenged He to honor his promise to kneel and take Jiang as his master. An expert confirmed the inscription at the restaurant entrance was written by Empress Dowager Duanyi, leaving He facing renewed pressure to concede and Song poised to answer questions about her family’s history.

• Jiang Guoqiang won the cooking contest by a narrow margin, and He Bingzheng admitted defeat.
• Song Yutang reminded He Bingzheng that he had promised to kneel and take Jiang Guoqiang as his master, but He’s assistant disputed Jiang’s claim to the God of Cooking’s legacy.
• Song Yutang said the restaurant’s inscription had been written by Empress Dowager Duanyi, and Professor Zeng confirmed it was authentic.
• Professor Zeng recognized Song Yutang as a possible descendant of Empress Dowager Duanyi and asked her about the Song Family’s fate.
• He Bingzheng hesitated to honor his promise, and Zhao Cuifeng urged him to kneel and call Jiang Guoqiang Master.

Song Yutang told Professor Zeng how Princess Danyang and her daughter were betrayed and abused by Song Huaiyuan and his family, and how Song Lian'er took the marriage intended for her. She began explaining how she was brought from the nunnery to become Crown Prince Yang's principal consort.

• Song Yutang explained that Song Huaiyuan married Princess Danyang for her dowry and political influence while secretly keeping his childhood sweetheart and their daughter, Song Lian'er.
• After the Prince of Qi took the throne, Song Huaiyuan and the Countess of Shun'an framed Princess Danyang for adultery and imprisoned her and her daughter in a neglected courtyard.
• Song Yutang recounted how she witnessed her mother's abuse, endured starvation and violations, and was sent to a punishing nunnery after Princess Danyang died from hemorrhaging.
• Song Yutang said Song Lian'er eloped with an enemy hostage prince on the eve of her wedding to Crown Prince Yang, leaving the wedding arrangements in crisis.
• Professor Zeng inferred that Song Yutang was brought out of the nunnery to stand in for Song Lian'er as crown princess, and noted that the Song Family could have made her disappear.

Song Yutang recounted how the future Empress Dowager Duanyi survived abuse in the Eastern Palace, protected Hexiang and her child, and helped Muzong secure the throne. She explained that the crown princess’s lifelong hardship and preparations for the palace coup ultimately wore her down and led to her death.

• Song Yutang explained that the crown princess endured neglect and cruelty from Crown Prince Yang while He Shuangxi helped her obtain food.
• Song Yutang revealed that the crown princess gained Emperor Xiaozong’s favor after discovering his past love for Princess Danyang, drawing Empress Wang’s hatred.
• After Song Lian'er returned to the Eastern Palace, Song Yutang secured protection for Hexiang and helped her carry a child to term, but Song Lian'er claimed the baby as her own.
• Song Yutang said Muzong survived an apparent poisoning as a child and vowed to kill anyone who harmed him and his mother.
• Song Yutang described how the crown princess rallied support for Muzong’s succession and prepared for the palace coup despite her failing health.