I started Mr. Honesty (不说谎恋人) with no expectations as I have not watched the male lead before. But I’m wiling to give it a go because the story of a man who never lies sounds a little different than the usual. So, let’s dive in and check out my Mr. Honesty episode summary below. I hope this drama will be an enjoyable one and my Mr. Honesty review will follow next.
Contents Table
Episode 1
Fang Zhi You is the boss of an architecture firm. But he absolutely hates telling lies. Hence, he is a very blunt guy who tends to offend others. He meets Xu Yi Ren and her boyfriend in a lift. Her boyfriend is talking to another girl over the phone in French and is obviously cheating on her. Being fluent in French himself, Zhi You exposes her boyfriend’s two-timing behavior. This results in a break up between Yi Ren and her boyfriend.
Then, they meet again when Yi Ren has to provide some sample designs to Zhi You on her boss’ instructions during a meeting. Her boss explains that Yi Ren is late because of a burst pipe in her home. But Zhi You who has seen her with her boyfriend earlier exposes her lies to her boss. The deal falls through and Yi Ren is fired.
Yi Ren ends up attending an interview at Zhi You’s firm to be his personal assistant. He rejects her. She argues with him about his intrusion into her life which causes her to lose her boyfriend and job. But with Zhi You being a very difficult man to get along with, no assistant could stay long working for him. His General Manager of Administration, He Yu Wen, decides to hire Yi Ren for the job and arm-twists him into giving her a chance. Yi Ren’s job is to smooth out Zhi You’s relationship with others and stops him from saying things that he shouldn’t.
Yi Ren already has to work late on her first day at the job and has to miss her dinner appointment with her good friend, Xia Di. The next morning, Yi Ren catches Zhi You sleeping in his private office and having a nightmare about his childhood experience.
Episode 2
Zhi You receives a package containing a box of used color pencils. He knows who is the sender. Liu Tian Yang, Zhi You’s chief designer, is quitting. He is in charge of the huge Xing Cheng project which is important to the firm’s survival.
Yi Ren gets bullied by her landlady with a rent increase and payment for repairs. Zhi You helps her to stand up to the landlady when he goes to pick her up for a business meeting. He needs the new client to make up for the potential loss of the Xing Cheng project. Yi Ren is doing well to smooth over the conversation with the client until the client’s spoilt young son starts to harass her. Zhi You voices his disapproval and they lose the deal. Zhi You insists that he couldn’t lie just to make others feel better.
Tian Yang’s decision to quit is instigated by a man whom Zhi You has offended in the past. Gu Bo joins the firm as an intern. Yi Ren is suspicious about his relationship with Yu Wen. Zhi You competes with Tian Yang for the Xing Cheng deal and wins it back. Tian Yang regrets his decision to quit and begs for forgiveness. Zhi You allows him to re-join the firm. He also gives Yi Ren a lamp to replace the one her landlady broke.
Episode 3
Yi Ren receives her pay. She cooks for Xia Di as a treat. Xia Di likes to listen to Yi Ren’s stories about her boss as it gives her ideas to draw her comics. Zhi You reprimands Yi Ren for making mistakes in her report. She is forced to stay late to correct it. Yu Wen invites her to have supper together. Yi Ren asks Yu Wen about Zhi You but is advised to refrain from gossips instead.
Xia Di calls Yi Ren to help her escape from her editor who is pressuring her to come up with her comic strip. Yi Ren gets Gu Bo to help Xia Di instead as she has to accompany Zhi You out. Both Gu Bo and Xia Di become acquainted. Xia Di also ends up paying for lunch.
Zhi You brings Yi Ren to buy flowers. She is surprised when he takes her to a nursing home next and asks her to see an old man named Li Jing Hong on his behalf. But the old man gets agitated and faints. They send him to the hospital. Yi Ren drops her purse while at the hospital which is picked up by a man who is visiting Li Jing Hong. The man orders his subordinate to check on Yi Ren’s relationship with Zhi You and to look for a girl.
As it is getting late, Zhi You and Yi Ren end up spending a night in a hotel. They could only book one room as Yi Ren has lost her ID card. Yu Wen calls Zhi You about the Hua Xing project as she is worried about their competitor. She learns he is in a hotel room with Yi Ren. Yi Ren falls sick and is surprised that Zhi You can be caring.
Episode 4
Yi Ren chats with Zhi You to find out about his abhorrence of telling lies. He relates that a lie had caused a friend’s parents to commit suicide. The mother died while the father was rescued but he ended up with dementia. He is the old man they visited earlier. His friend then migrated. He hopes to see his friend again but is also afraid of meeting him. Zhi You also asks Yi Ren to keep his story to herself. The next day, Zhi You meets his friend at the hospital. His friend wants to ruin him for what he did years ago.
Yu Wen is unhappy that Yi Ren was together with Zhi You for the night. Yi Ren has to lie since she cannot reveal Zhi You’s secret. Although she assures Yu Wen that nothing happened between them, Yu Wen still warns her not to fall in love with her boss.
Zhi You will be bidding for the Hua Xing project and their fiercest rival would be He Yu Liang. His little sister, Fang Shi Yu, gets into trouble at school. He brings Yi Ren with him to discuss with the teacher. Yi Ren helps to settle the matter to Shi Yu’s satisfaction. Shi Yu takes a liking to Yi Ren and tries to matchmake them in the car. But Zhi You and Yi Ren end up arguing about her lying to Yu Wen. Yi Ren is incredulous that Zhi You is angry when she is only lying to cover his secret.
Gu Bo is trying to woo Xia Di. He asks Yi Ren about Xia Di’s likes and dislikes. Zhi You is not satisfied with his staff’s work for the Hua Xing project. Yi Ren convinces Tian Yang to volunteer to help out Zhi You.
Episode 5
Tian Yang offers to be Zhi You’s assistant for the Hua Xing project. Yi Ren lied to Tian Yang that it is Zhi You’s idea to get him to help out. Tian Yang then lets slip about the lie to Zhi You. Yi Ren becomes worried that she will be fired. But she convinces Zhi You that her lie resulted in a happy outcome. Zhi You gives her another chance. He also begins to open up to her.
Zhi You’s friend is Li Zhe. He wants to find out more about Yi Ren as he doesn’t believe that she is merely Zhi You’s assistant. Li Zhe contacts her to return her purse. They become friends and Li Zhe tries to get to know more about Zhi You through Yi Ren. Shi Yu tells Zhi You that Yi Ren has feelings for him.
Yu Wen quarrels with her father, He Yu Liang, over the Hua Xing project. Her father has a large architecture business and constantly uses his influence to gain projects. Yu Wen finds out that Yu Liang will be meeting Hua Xing’s boss, Mr. Huang, over a game of golf. She tricks Zhi You to the golf course to try to socialize with Mr. Huang. But Zhi You refuses to purposely lose the game to curry favor with Mr. Huang. He is also angry with Yu Wen for resorting to underhanded tactics to win projects as that is not his style. To relieve his anger, he demands Yi Ren to shop with him and buys her a purse.
Xia Di wants Yi Ren to find out more about Zhi You as she intends to use his personality to create the character for her comic strips. She wants to know what type of girl Zhi You likes.
Episode 6
Zhi You bluntly asks Yi Ren if she has feelings for him since she keeps asking him about his taste in girls. She denies it. Zhi You tells her that it is best that way and he will fire her if she falls in love with him since it will affect her work.
Gu Bo brings Xia Di to a ghost house thinking that he could protect her but it turns out to be the other way round. Zhi You asks Yi Ren to join him for the bidding meeting with Hua Xing. But her ex-boyfriend, Gao Ming, lies that he is severely injured due to an accident as he wants a reconciliation. Yi Ren lies to Zhi You that it is Xia Di who is injured so that he will allow her to go to the hospital. Yi Ren is mad when she finds out that Gao Ming only has a minor injury.
During the meeting with Hua Xing, Zhi You couldn’t find the presentation files in his pen drive. He couldn’t reach Yi Ren on the phone. Zhi You loses the bid for the project and fires Yi Ren when he finds out that she has lied to him. Li Zhe is still angry with Zhi You for his father’s condition. He vows to take away everything that Zhi You has.
Yi Ren feels bad for causing Zhi You to lose the Hua Xing project. She tries to see Mr. Huang with the model that she has built based on Zhi You’s design despite having been fired. Xia Di beats up Gao Ming for hurting Yi Ren. Gu Bo promises Xia Di that he has a way to get Yi Ren re-hired. It turns out that Gu Bo is related to Zhi You in some way.
Episode 7
Gu Bo’s father is an investor in Zhi You’s firm. Gu Bo has high respects for Zhi You and calls him brother. He tells Zhi You that Yi Ren is working hard to get Hua Xing to give them a chance and should be re-hired. Zhi You also happens to overhear Sha Sha’s video call with Yi Ren who advises her how to serve as his assistant. Sha Sha feels bad and finally admits to Zhi You that she had mistakenly switched the USB drive with an empty one.
Zhi You goes to look for Yi Ren after hearing Sha Sha’s confession. He witnesses Yi Ren being pushed aside by Mr. Huang and demands that the latter apologize to his assistant. Zhi You re-hires Yi Ren. He asks her why she had lied to him. She explains that she was afraid that he may be unhappy since he hates Gao Ming. Although her relationship with Gao Ming is all in the past, she was once reliant on him. Her parents died when she was still a kid and she is brought up by her aunt and uncle.
Yu Wen is not happy that Zhi You has re-hired Yi Ren. She thinks he is changing and tolerating Yi Ren’s lies but he is insistent on keeping her. Her father’s subordinate, Qi Ming, persuades her to return to her father’s firm. But Yu Wen ignores him.
On the night of Shi Yu’s birthday, Zhi You is stricken with gastric. Yi Ren helps him home and is seen by a colleague. They are starting to spontaneously care for each other but Yi Ren reminds herself that there can be nothing between them. The next morning, gossips circulate that Yi Ren and Zhi You are dating.
Episode 8
Yi Ren pretends to be sick to avoid going to a meeting with Zhi You due to the gossips. Zhi You brings Gu Bo instead. After the meeting, Gu Bo tells Zhi You about the gossips and advises him to check on Yi Ren at home. Xia Di’s comic strip about a character who hates lies attracts high readership. She calls Gu Bo to celebrate and pays for his clothes during their outing thinking that he is just a poor intern.
Zhi You drops by Yi Ren’s place with medicines. Yi Ren admits that she isn’t sick but is worried about the gossips. She wants them to maintain a safe distance but Zhi Yiu tells her to ignore what others think since they are innocent. Qi Ming willingly spars with Yu Wen during a boxing practice to allow her to lash out her unhappiness. She is affected by Zhi You’s increasingly close relationship with Yi Ren but vows never to let anyone to take her place in his life.
Gu Bo asks his friend to tackle all the negative online reviews on Xia Di’s comics. Yi Ren helps to train Zhi You to be more sociable while meeting clients. She receives a call and Zhi You could hear that she is arranging for a dinner appointment. After a client meeting, he drops her off but is curious about her date. He decides to check it out only to discover that her date is Li Zhe. Yi Ren is surprised to learn that Li Zhe is the friend that Zhi You had mentioned earlier. She leaves Li Zhe to catch up with Zhi You. Yi Ren assures Zhi You that she is only repaying Li Zhe for returning her purse. After clearing the air, they leave together in the rain.
Episode 9
Li Zhe has hired a private investigator to look for the girl he met years ago in Qingshan. He was about to jump into the river then when he heard the girl crying for help as she was lost. In a way, the girl saved him. But there is still no news on the whereabouts of this girl.
Li Zhe also realizes that the key Zhi You gave him earlier is for his old house. He goes to see him at his office to pay him back for the purchase of the house. Zhi You is not interested in the money as he feels that it is something he owes Li Zhe. But Li Zhe tells him that what he owes is not merely a house. Li Zhe wants to take away his firm and Yi Ren whom he thinks is special to Zhi You although the latter insists that he doesn’t love her. Li Zhe decides to woo Yi Ren due to his feud with Zhi You.
Yi Ren leaves the office late with Zhi You. They go for a meal together. Yi Ren relates her unhappy childhood experience to him. She had to lie at times to keep her aunt happy as the latter was obviously bias towards her cousin sister. Zhi You encourages her to be herself and not to constantly please others. Yi Ren is beginning to fall for him.
Li Zhe waits for Yi Ren to finish work and brings her to the movies. He tries to get information about the Moon Bay Resort project from her. She bluntly tells him off as she could see through his intentions. Zhi You is sick and Yi Ren drops by to care for him.
Episode 10
Li Zhe texts Yi Ren to apologize while she is with Zhi You. But she hides it from him. Zhi You also asks Yi Ren to stay for the night since it is getting late. She asks him if he hates her during a game. He answers that he hates her lies but not her as a person. Neither does she hate him now that she has got to know him better.
Yu Wen is angry that Yi Ren has taken leave without informing her. Zhi You explains that he has given his approval. Yi Ren is taking driving lessons since it is part of her duty to drive as a personal assistant. She meets Li Zhe by coincidence. He apologizes and sincerely requests for her friendship.
Zhi You is looking for a top modeling company for the Moon Bay Resort project. Yu Wen helps him out by getting Qi Ming to introduce her to a company called Da Sheng. Li Zhe is joining Da Sheng soon and gets the current manager, Mr. Qi, to agree to work with Zhi You’s firm. However, Zhi You couldn’t make it for the dinner appointment with Mr. Qi as he is stuck at the resort with Yi Ren due to a flat tire. Zhi You and Yi Ren end up spending the night in the car while waiting for help. During that time, Yi Ren relates her experience of being lost in the woods and saved by an older boy.
Yu Wen is made to drink by Mr. Qi to make up for Zhi You’s non-attendance. She gets the deal but hides her gastric problem from Zhi You the next morning. Sha Sha is looking for antacid for Yu Wen. Yi Ren offers her some.
Episode 11
Yi Ren convinces Yu Wen to go to the hospital. Yu Wen admits that her gastric is due to her excessive drinking the previous night. She also asks Yi Ren if she was with Zhi You then. Yi Ren relates what happened to them the night before. Zhi You drops by to visit Yu Wen. He is not satisfied with Da Sheng’s attitude but Yu Wen wants him to sign the contract as she has gone through much to secure the deal. She claims to have done it for their firm.
Li Zhe’s investigator has found the former teacher of the girl he is looking for. But she is out of the country. Gu Bo treats Xia Di and Yi Ren to dinner. He lies and hides his background as Xia Di doesn’t fancy rich guys. Gu Bo also mentions that Zhi You doesn’t have feelings for Yu Wen which helps to reassure Yi Ren.
Li Zhe unilaterally cancels Da Sheng’s contract with Zhi You’s firm as the new manager. Yu Wen asks Qi Ming to investigate Li Zhe’s background. Yi Ren suggests to Zhi You to pretend to agree to Li Zhe’s conditions first since they are now desperate for a modeling company to take up the project at such a late hour. But Zhi You warns her not to test his bottom line. He decides to forego the 3D modeling and concentrate on a watercolor presentation.
Yi Ren asks Li Zhe to re-consider the contract. Li Zhe refuses and calls Zhi You to accuse him of being a coward for asking a woman to plead on his behalf. Zhi You then tells Yi Ren to stay away from Li Zhe and stop acting on her own.
Episode 12
Yi Ren’s landlady is selling the apartment and wants her to move out within a week. She is thinking of putting up with Xia Di but Gu Bo has moved in temporarily as his place has problems with the electricity supply. Xia Di takes pity on him since she thinks he is poor.
Shi Yu finds out that Yi Ren is looking for a place to stay. She asks Yi Ren to move into her brother’s place. When Yi Ren is reluctant, Shi Yu takes the initiative and tells Yi Ren to move in for her sake as her brother has been feeding her junk food. Yi Ren has little choice but to give in to Shi Yu’s request and Zhi You has no objection.
Qi Ming informs Yu Wen some details about Li Zhe. She confronts Zhi You about it. But Zhi You insists that it is his personal matter which makes Yu Wen angry as he is unwilling to share things with her.
Li Zhe looks for Yi Ren and tells her what happened in the past. His father was accused of fraud but he was apparently scammed by his partners. Zhi You’s father is a top lawyer. Zhi You pleaded with his father to help Li Zhe’s father. He was told to tell Li Zhe to gather all the necessary evidence. But Li Zhe’s family was betrayed when Zhi You’s father used all the evidence to defend the partners instead. Li Zhe’s father was sentenced to jail. His mother died of suicide and his father ended up with dementia.
Yi Ren goes back to ask Zhi You about Li Zhe’s story. Zhi You confirms it. Yi Ren then learns from Shi Yu that Zhi You has a strained relationship with their father because of the issue.
Episode 13
Yi Ren tells Zhi You that she trusts him. She believes he didn’t lie to Li Zhe and that she will always stand by his side. Gu Bo is disappointed that he is constantly being overlooked at work due to his inexperience. Yi Ren quietly works with Sun Zi Yang to come up with their handmade modeling which Zhi You had dismissed earlier. But Zhi You finds out what they have been up to and is impressed with their skills. He gives them the green light to work on it and encourages Yi Ren to pursue modeling if it is her passion.
Gu Bo is demotivated to learn from Zhi You that he got the job at the firm because his father is a board member. Yi Ren gives the excuse that she has hurt her hand to avoid her driving lesson as she is busy with the Moon Bay Resort modeling project. Li Zhe finds out through her driving instructor and sends flowers to her office. Zhi You is not too happy about it while Yu Wen questions Yi Ren about Li Zhe. She is disappointed that Zhi You has told Yi Ren about his past but not her.
Li Zhe goes to Yi Ren’s office to ask for a chat. He is frustrated that Yi Ren still chooses to believe Zhi You who turns up to drag her away. Zhi You starts questioning Yi Ren about her relationship with Li Zhe. She snipes back and in the heat of the moment, Zhi You admits that he is jealous and then walks away. Yi Ren doesn’t know how to face Zhi You after that. She calls Xia Di for company but the latter is go-karting with Gu Bo to cheer him up.
Episode 14
Yi Ren and Zhi You are forced to talk when they bump into each other at her favorite restaurant. The conclusion from their disagreement is Zhi You is mad because she lied to her driving instructor which caused Li Zhe to send her flowers and not because he is really jealous.
Yu Wen is dissatisfied that Zhi You is willing to make an exception for Yi Ren to do the work of a designer. She also questions him about his sharing of his past with Yi Ren when he has never done so with her. Zhi You says that it was a coincidence. Yu Wen is unhappy but tells him that she will always be there for him.
Tian Yang scolds Gu Bo for making mistakes with his design. Zhi You’s firm manages to win the Moon Bay Resort project. Li Zhe calls Yi Ren to congratulate her and asks her out on the pretext of clearing the misunderstanding with Zhi You. During the meeting, Yi Ren receives a call from her aunt who pressures her to rent an apartment for the family as her cousin sister has found a job in the city.
Zhi You is not happy to see Yi Ren with Li Zhe again. But Yi Ren also finds it difficult to trust Li Zhe and tells him so. She doesn’t deny it when Li Zhe asks if she has fallen for Zhi You. Back home, Zhi You tells Yi Ren that Li Zhe is approaching her for a reason and he doesn’t want her to get hurt. Xia Di tries to encourage and cheer Gu Bo up. But Gu Bo decides to quit when Zhi You bluntly tells him that he is incompetent. Yi Ren tries to convince Zhi You to motivate Gu Bo to stay.
Episode 15
Zhi You agrees to give Gu Bo another chance. Gu Bo rushes back with the good news to inform Xia Di who has been worried the whole night.
Yi Ren is inspecting an apartment for her aunt’s family and finds that it is owned by Li Zhe. She confronts him. Yi Ren is disappointed that he keeps manipulating her because of Zhi You and doesn’t want to see him again. She unknowingly left behind her watch. Li Zhe regrets involving Yi Ren in his dispute with Zhi You.
Yu Wen suggests to Zhi You to let Yi Ren look for a modeling company for the firm since Yi Ren is close to Li Zhe who works for Da Sheng. Zhi You rejects her suggestion. Li Zhe’s assistant returns Yi Ren’s watch to her. Gu Bo could sense Zhi You is jealous. He advises him to take the initiative and kiss Yi Ren to let her know how he feels.
Yi Ren explains to Zhi You that she saw Li Zhe because of the apartment issue. She also tells him that he is confusing her with his concern and jealousy. As she leaves, Zhi You turns her around and kisses her. Yi Ren is surprised and quickly runs out after the kiss. She confides in Xia Di about what happened. Gu Bo tries to eavesdrop and reports back to Zhi You that Yi Ren is afraid that they won’t be a perfect couple as they belong to 2 different worlds.
Li Zhe finally receives confirmation that the girl he has been looking for is Yi Ren. He goes to her office to look for her but ends up arguing with Zhi You. Li Zhe didn’t get to ask Yi Ren about the incident as Zhi You claims she is his girlfriend.
Episode 16
Zhi You apologizes to Yi Ren for claiming she is her girlfriend and kissing her without first obtaining her permission. He then confesses his love for her and asks her to be his girlfriend. Yi Ren says that she can’t promise that she wouldn’t tell lies but Zhi You reassures her that she has become an exception to him. Yi Ren agrees to his request but wants their relationship to be kept a secret for the time being to avoid gossips.
Li Zhe is depressed that Yi Ren is now with Zhi You. Xia Di injured her leg in an accident. She is surprised by Gu Bo’s anger at her carelessness. Yi Ren wants to sign up for an architectural design course but the fees are too expensive. A colleague suggests that she attends lectures at universities instead as she can learn for free.
Yi Ren and Zhi You are hiding their romance from everyone but Shi Yu can sense that they are already dating. Zhi You is not on talking terms with his father for betraying Li Zhe’s family. He feels responsible because he was the one who asked Li Zhe to gather the evidence and passed to his father. Yu Wen tells Li Zhe that she can help to pair him with Yi Ren. But Li Zhe informs her that Zhi You and Yi Ren are already together.
Yi Ren rushes to attend a lecture conducted by Zhi You’s junior. Zhi You takes his junior’s place instead to be the guest lecturer. The female students are vowed by his good looks and ask for his contact number after the lecture. He tells them to ask Yi Ren instead as he proceeds to kiss her forehead.
Episode 17
Li Zhe notices Zhi You and Yi Ren at the university. He tails them to a cafe and quietly follows Yi Ren when she leaves alone to see her uncle’s family who have arrived earlier than expected. Yi Ren is not ready to announce her relationship with Zhi You to her family.
Xia Di wants to avoid her nagging mother. She sends Gu Bo home to entertain her. Xia Di’s mother orders Gu Bo to pass along some blind date candidates to Xia Di. But Gu Bo didn’t do so and confides in Yi Ren who encourages him to confess his feelings for Xia Di.
Li Zhe purposely turns up at the station to get acquainted with Yi Ren’s family. He also offers them his apartment for them to stay. Li Zhe promises Yi Ren that he is helping her as a friend. Yi Ren’s aunt and cousin sister, Qing, are always taking advantage of and bullying Yi Ren. Yu Wen asks Zhi You about the rumors regarding his relationship with Yi Ren. Zhi You admits that they are dating. Yu Wen is angry and tells Zhi You that Yi Ren can’t be trusted. They end up quarreling over it.
Yi Ren rushes to her aunt’s apartment due to a leaking pipe. Qing has also contacted Li Zhe who settles the problem. They end up having dinner together. Yi Ren denies that she is dating in front of her family when Li Zhe asks her about her boyfriend. He then knows Yi Ren is not confident about her relationship with Zhi You. After dinner, Li Zhe notices a toy that he had given the lost little girl years earlier as well as the hair clip she was wearing then in Qing’s room. Qing claims that the items are hers.
Episode 18
Xia Di’s mother rings her to ask about the blind date candidates. Xia Di then finds the list among Gu Bo’s clothes and suspects that he loves her. Gu Bo decides to confess his feelings. But before he could do so, Xia Di already rejects him indirectly. She also asks him to move out soon.
Qing notices Yi Ren with Zhi You while working in a shopping mall. Li Zhe contacts Qing to find out more about the past. But Qing lies that the toy is given to her by a friend and that she couldn’t remember the details. She also claims that Yi Ren likes to take her things and that includes the hair clip. Li Zhe can’t confirm who was the girl that was lost that day but Qing and Yi Ren were classmates then. Qing informs her mother that Yi Ren already has a boyfriend while she is interested in Li Zhe.
Qing wants Yi Ren to help her to look for an office job but Yi Ren is reluctant. She again denies that she is dating when Qing questions her. Qing also asks Yi Ren about the toy and learns that Li Zhe must be the boy who had saved Yi Ren then. But she keeps quiet about it although she knows Yi Ren is also looking for her savior.
Shi Yu gives some love advice to Gu Bo. Yu Wen is still angry with Zhi You and has been taking leave. Zhi You tells Yi Ren not to worry and that he will talk to Yu Wen. He also wants to bring Yi Ren to his mother’s tomb for her death anniversary. But Yi Ren is still not ready to introduce Zhi You to her uncle and aunt.
Episode 19
Yu Wen is still heartbroken. Li Zhe suggests that they work together to counter Zhi You. But Yu Wen is not interested. Gu Bo confesses his feelings to Xia Di and tells her that he is super rich. But Xia Di doesn’t believe him. Most importantly, she doesn’t want to date a younger guy and would rather treat Gu Bo as a younger brother.
Zhi You brings Yi Ren to his mother’s grave on her death anniversary. They meet his father but Zhi You ends up quarrelling with him again. His father just doesn’t know how to communicate with him. Zhi You complains to Yi Ren about his father and that he can’t forgive him. His father is also too proud to apologize to Li Zhe’s family. Yi Ren tries to cheer Zhi You up.
Qing lies to Li Zhe that she was the girl who got lost. But Zhi You notices the toy that Qing has returned to Yi Ren. It looks familiar to him. He suspects that it belonged to Li Zhe. Zhi You encourages Yu Ren to ask Li Zhe about it. Yi Ren calls Li Zhe who is with Qing. When Yi Ren arrives to meet him, Qing drags her away and pleads with her to keep it a secret from Li Zhe. Qing admits that she loves him. Yi Ren reluctantly agrees.
Yi Ren and Zhi You then bump into her uncle. Zhi You learns that Yi Ren has not told her family about him and is angry. Yi Ren ends up spending the night with Xia Di. She is keeping her relationship with Zhi You a secret because she is afraid that it would not last. The next morning, Zhi You is still angry at work.
Episode 20
Both Gu Bo and Yi Ren are having love troubles. They message each other during a meeting. Gu Bo accidentally sends a message to everyone that reveals Yi Ren and Zhi You are dating. Zhi You announces it to confirm the fact. Yi Ren is still hesitant to go public which disappoints Zhi You. Yu Wen asks Yi Ren to name a price to leave Zhi You but she rejects her offer. Gu Bo tells Yi Ren that men too can feel insecure and she can’t be hiding her relationship forever while Xia Di advises her to be frank with Zhi You.
Yu Wen confesses to Zhi You her feelings for him. She asks him to choose between her and Yi Ren. She also runs down Yi Ren which angers Zhi You. He is firm to Yu Wen that Yi Ren is his girlfriend and will respect her decision if she is unhappy and wants to leave the firm. Yu Wen is frustrated that all her sacrifices to win his heart have been in vain. She accepts Li Zhe’s offer to cooperate.
Shi Yu informs Zhi You that Yi Ren will be back to pack her things. Zhi You hugs her and stops her from moving out. Yi Ren says that she feels inferior to him and is afraid that they have no future. That is why she has been keeping their relationship from her family. Zhi You reassures her that he too has his weaknesses. They talk things over and reconcile.
Yu Wen apologizes for her behavior and tells Zhi You that she intends to stay as his business partner. She also wants Yi Ren to help her with the Moon Bay Resort project. Zhi You brings Yi Ren to a hot springs resort during the weekend.
Episode 21
Zhi You and Yi Ren spend the night together. Gu Bo causes a short circuit at Xia Di’s place while fixing her speaker box. During dinner in the dark, Gu Bo suggests that Xia Di treats him as a guinea pig boyfriend if she has little experience in love. They are about to kiss when the lights come back on. Xia Di immediately avoids Gu Bo.
Yu Wen ropes in Yi Ren to help select a construction company through a bidding process for the Moon Bay Resort project. Yi Ren is surprised at Yu Wen’s change in attitude towards her. She questions Yu Wen about it who admits that she loves Zhi You and her previous attitude is merely due to personal envy. She rubs it in that Zhi You is aware of her feelings. Li Zhe prepares details for a shell company called Jia Ye and gives it to Yu Wen.
Yi Ren feels uneasy and asks Zhi You about Yu Wen’s feelings for him. He swears that he doesn’t love Yu Wen and that he didn’t tell her because he doesn’t want her to overthink. Xia Di’s comic strip has falling readership. Her editor suggests that she dates someone to find inspiration. On the way home, she is attacked by a flasher. Gu Bo saves her. Yi Ren finishes the bidding documents and passes them to Yu Wen.
Yi Ren brings Zhi You to meet her uncle and aunt. Li Zhe meets them when sending Qing home after accompanying her shopping. He has offered her a job. During dinner, Qing mentions that Li Zhe is her savior. Zhi You tells Li Zhe to be careful of being lied to. Yi Ren’s aunt starts to chide Zhi You for being rude to Li Zhe. Yi Ren defends him.
Episode 22
After the flasher ordeal, Xia Di kisses Gu Bo to confirm their relationship. Yi Ren asks Li Zhe to treat Qing seriously if he loves her during a chat. Li Zhe explains that he was about to commit suicide on the day he saved Qing and hence, her significance to him. But Qing is different from the girl he has imagined. Yi Ren is still unwilling to tell Li Zhe the truth to protect Qing. She also quotes a story to ask him to let go of revenge. It is a story that he had told the girl he saved.
Yu Wen uses Yi Ren’s computer to send an e-mail to Jia Ye. Gu Bo wants to tell Xia Di the truth about his background but changes his mind when she says that she hates men who lie.
Bidders for the Moon Bay Resort project are dissatisfied that their quotations had been leaked to Jia Ye. Zhi You promises to investigate but refuses to fire Yi Ren despite the e-mail evidence. Zhi You tells Yi Ren that he trusts her and she couldn’t have sent the e-mail because they were together at that time. Li Zhe orders thugs to create a ruckus at Zhi You’s firm to further implicate Yi Ren.
Zhi You asks Gu Bo to investigate. Gu Bo manages to find out that Jia Ye is a shell company and tells Yi Ren. She knows Li Zhe is involved and confronts him. She admits to being the girl he saved in return for information about Jia Ye. Li Zhe admits he is behind the plot to harm Zhi You but stops short of mentioning Yu Wen. He snatches away Yi Ren’s recorder and tells her to give up helping Zhi You as she wouldn’t succeed.
Episode 23
Although Li Zhe has snatched away Yi Ren’s recorder, she has a back-up to record the whole conversation. So, she manages to clear her name while Gu Bo informs Zhi You that Yu Wen was the one who sent the e-mail. Zhi You confronts Yu Wen who admits her guilt. She is dissatisfied about Yi Ren whom she feels is inferior to him and quits on the spot.
Li Zhe fires Qing from Da Sheng. Feeling aggrieved, Qing tails Yi Ren and Zhi You home. When she lashes out at Yi Ren, Zhi You tells her off. Qing goes home to complain to her mother. The next morning, Qing’s mother goes to Yi Ren’s office and starts spewing untruths about Yi Ren to her colleagues. Shi Yu happens to be there and shuts her up by threatening to sue her for defamation by producing her father’s business card.
Zhi You comforts Yi Ren. He advises her that she need not maintain a relationship if she always has to make concessions. So, Yi Ren courageously confronts her aunt and ends their relationship as family as she has never been treated as a family member. She warns her aunt to think of the consequences the next time she wants to harm her.
Li Zhe wants to bring his father back to the US. He tells him that he is tired and losing himself in his quest for revenge. Gu Bo hires fans to attend Xia Di’s meet-the-fans function. Yi Ren discovers Gu Bo’s scheme and that he is a rich guy and shareholder of Zhi You’s firm. She insists that Gu Bo tells Xia Di soon about his background. Yi Ren also persuades Zhi You to get Yu Wen to come back to the firm as her services is much needed.
Episode 24
Yi Ren invites Yu Wen to return to the firm but she is non-committal. Zhi You’s father asks for a meeting with Yi Ren who assumes he must be against her relationship with his son. But Zhi You’s father is happy with her and wants her to do him a favour to facilitate a reconciliation with Zhi You. Yi Ren also finds out that Zhi You’s father is on medication and her checks reveal that it is for dementia. She hides it from Zhi You initially but subsequently decides to let him know.
Xia Di’s mother is against her daughter’s relationship with Gu Bo. During a private meeting between Gu Bo and Xia Di’s mother, the latter expresses her worry that he would not be able to support her daughter. Gu Bo proves that he is a rich guy by getting her mother to talk to Yi Ren. Having been assured of his wealth, Xia Di’s mother is no longer against the relationship. But Gu Bo requests that she hides the fact from Xia Di to avoid a break up.
Qi Ming confesses his feelings to Yu Wen which is not reciprocated. Yu Wen then gets drunk at a disco and calls Yi Ren who goes to look for her. Yu Wen is still antagonistic towards Yi Ren but the latter continues to convince her to return to work for Zhi You.
Li Zhe’s father suffers a heart attack. Both Li Zhe and Zhi You rush to the hospital. Zhi You tells Li Zhe that he will try to get his father to apologize for the past betrayal. Shi Yu pretends to have hurt her leg in school. She asks Zhi You to send her home in an effort to get father and son to reconcile.
Episode 25
It is Zhi You’s father’s birthday which is why Shi Yu wants her brother home. Zhi You agrees to stay for dinner. While looking for old photos, Zhi You notices a share transfer contract for his father’s law firm. His father admits that he is on medication for early dementia. But he still refuses to apologize for his past betrayal to Li Zhe to avoid souring his reputation. This leads to an argument between him and Zhi You who storms off. Yi Ren cheers her boyfriend up.
Yu Wen informs Qi Ming that she has decided to re-join Zhi You’s firm. She doesn’t want to work for her father due to a past incident. Zhi You welcomes her back on Yi Ren’s encouragement. Yu Wen decides to hire a junior assistant to help with the workload upon her return.
Xia Di has secured a second season for her comic book publication. Gu Bo boasts that he will purchase all her books if they can’t sell but Xia Di just thinks he is joking. She is also surprised that Gu Bo has managed to get close to her mother.
Zhi You and Yi Ren talk to his father’s doctor who confirms the early Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Although his father needs family care and love, Zhi You can’t bring himself to pretend to make him happy. He has nightmares due to the pressure as he doesn’t know how to face Li Zhe. Zhi You also wants to try to talk to his father again. Yi Ren comes across all the letters that Zhi You had written to Li Zhe in the past but not sent. She brings them to Li Zhe and tells him about Zhi You’s father as well as how much Zhi You has been hurting all these years.
Episode 26
Qing and her mother apologize to Yi Ren. They want her to do them a favor by getting Qing a job at Zhi You’s company as Yu Wen has advertised for a junior assistant role. Her uncle also begs her to help. Yi Ren is soft-hearted and tells Zhi You about it. Zhi You then speaks to Yu Wen to see if she could assist. Yu Wen is not too happy. Yi Ren clarifies with Yu Wen that she doesn’t mean to impose. Yu Wen agrees to hire Qing but claims that she is only worried about Yi Ren. Yi Ren thinks Yu Wen is being good to her but she is wrong.
Li Zhe asks Zhi You’s father’s doctor about his sickness. The doctor refuses to tell him anything but Li Zhe finds out from the doctor’s assistant that he has not seen any record of Alzheimer’s for Zhi You’s father. Li Zhe informs Yi Ren about it and tells her that he doesn’t trust Zhi You’s father.
Gu Bo is still afraid to tell Xia Di his background. Yi Ren says he should be honest with Xia Di because she will find out sooner or later. Gu Bo thinks he should propose to Xia Di so that she can’t leave him once they are married even if she knows the truth.
Zhi You tries to talk to his father again. He can’t accept his lies. His father apologizes to him but refuses to apologize to Li Zhe. Zhi You tells his father he won’t give up in getting an apology out of him and asks him to reconsider. Shi Yu wants Zhi You stay for the night. Yi Ren tells Zhi You that she wants to see his father.
Xia Di’s books are not selling well.
Episode 27
Gu Bo tries to cheer Xia Di up. He makes a bet with her that her books will get sold out and when that happens, he will marry her.
Yi Ren visits Zhi You’s father and steals a tablet from the bottle. She also advises him not to apologize if he is not sincere as it will hurt Zhi You even more. Yu Wen talks to Mr. Wei to get his cooperation for the Zhi Wu Academy project.
Yu Wen notices the tablet that Yi Ren has stolen. Yi Ren tells her all about Zhi You’s father. Yu Wen asks Yi Ren to give her the pill to test. In the mean time, she advises Yi Ren to keep it from Zhi You. The test results confirm that the tablet is just a vitamin. Yi Ren confronts Zhi You’s father who admits that he has set everything up. He is desperate to reconcile with his son and begs Yi Ren to keep quiet. Yi Ren stays mum but feels conflicted. Zhi You proposes to Yi Ren that they should marry once the problem with Li Zhe is settled.
Yu Wen asks Zhi You to bid for the Zhi Wu Academy project but he is undecided. She also tells Zhi You that she is aware of his father’s condition as Yi Ren has told her. Yi Ren encourages Zhi You to bid for the project. Building an academy has always been his and Li Zhe’s dream. Zhi You invites Li Zhe to cooperate with him but gets rejected.
Xia Di’s books are sold out. She has a party to celebrate. Yi Ren brings Shi Yu to Xia Di’s party. Zhi You and Yu Wen drop by after attending a meeting with Mr. Wei. Gu Bo springs a surprise for Xia Di.
Episode 28
Gu Bo proposes to Xia Di during the party but she rejects him. Her mother tries to persuade her and blurts out Gu Bo’s background. Xia Di feels betrayed that even Yi Ren has lied to her. Yu Wen seizes the opportunity to tell Zhi You that Yi Ren has also lied to him about his father’s illness. Yi Ren tries to apologize but Zhi You is really angry.
Zhi You confronts his father and terminates their relationship. His father faints after he storms off. Shi Yu calls Yi Ren from the hospital. The doctor confirms that Zhi You’s father has Alzheimer’s and requested for it to be kept a secret. Zhi You’s father explains to Yi Ren that he had wanted Zhi You to know about his condition through her initially. But he still can’t apologize to Li Zhe as Zhi You demands because the credibility of his law firm is at stake. When Yi Ren confronted him about faking his illness, he saw it as a chance to test Yi Ren’s love for Zhi You.
Xia Di asks for a break up with Gu Bo. Shi Yu tells Zhi You that their father’s illness is real but he is still suspicious. Yu Wen wants Yi Ren to quit. She refuses. Yu Wen then swaps her role with Qing’s. Yi Ren apologizes to Xia Di. But she is still angry and moves into a hotel to avoid Gu Bo. Zhi You tells Gu Bo that he is wrong to lie to Xia Di and getting himself sick to make her worry is useless.
Qing bullies Yi Ren and orders her to buy takeaways for the meeting with Mr. Wei. Yi Ren bumps into Li Zhe then. He drags her away and arranges for lunch delivery on her behalf instead.
Episode 29
Li Zhe doesn’t like it that Yi Ren is being bullied. But she knows she has hurt Zhi You and doesn’t want to leave him. Li Zhe asks Yi Ren if she is willing to be with him should he forgives Zhi You’s father. But Yi Ren only sees him as a good friend while Zhi You is the love of her life.
Zhi You is not satisfied with Qing’s work. He also questions Yu Wen why she didn’t tell him the truth earlier. Yu Wen claims that she didn’t set Yi Ren up. It is Yi Ren’s own decision to lie to him while she decided to tell him the truth. Zhi You tells Yu Wen that he hopes she is sincere.
Yi Ren informs Zhi You that Li Zhe wants to discuss about the Zhi Wu project. Li Zhe is doing it to help Yi Ren. Xia Di’s mother persuades her daughter to reconcile with Gu Bo as he clearly loves her. Li Zhe tells Zhi You that he loves Yi Ren. He will cooperate on the Zhi Wu project if Zhi You leaves her. But Zhi You is not letting go of Yi Ren. When Li Zhe is attacked by thugs, Zhi You helps him but gets injured and is rushed to hospital.
Xia Di finally calls Gu Bo who tells her that he is in the hospital. She rushes there only to discover that it is Zhi You who is injured. They reconcile their differences and get back together. Zhi You has a concussion and arm fracture. His father regrets his mistakes as he is the cause of Zhi You’s indebtedness to Li Zhe. Yi Ren tells him that he could make it up with an apology. Zhi You’s father then meets Li Zhe.
Episode 30
Zhi You’s father is willing to publicly apologize to Li Zhe’s family for his son’s sake. But the condition is Li Zhe must forgive Zhi You who is innocent in his father’s deceit. Zhi You’s father helped the other party because of business considerations.
Zhi You apologizes to Yi Ren for hurting her. He realizes he must accept both her strengths and weaknesses. Yi Ren also promises not to lie to him again. Yu Wen sees them together when she drops by the hospital. She takes it out on Qing whose job is now shaky with the reconciliation.
Zhi You’s father is disbarred. He apologizes to Li Zhe’s father. But Li Zhe has no intention to appeal the case. He wants to let go of the past and makes up for his mistakes in his quest for revenge. Li Zhe and Zhi You become good friends again.
Yu Wen won’t give up on Zhi You. Qing slanders Yi Ren online. Xia Di is mad when she reads the slander and confronts Qing and her mother. Qing insults Xia Di and tries to slap her. Yi Ren arrives and stops her just in time. She asks her to apologize to Xia Di and makes a clean break with Qing and her mother. Yi Ren’s uncle asks his wife to stop quarreling with Yi Ren or he would divorce her. Yi Ren thanks Xia Di for standing up for her and they resume their friendship.
Li Zhe helps Zhi You with the Zhi Wu project. Yu Wen’s father wants her to steal Zhi You’s design again. He tries to convince Yu Wen that Zhi You has already abandoned her and she would not have a place in his company once he gets married. Zhi You reminds Yi Ren about his proposal.
Episode 31
Yu Wen gives Zhi You’s design to her father. Mr. Wei accuses Zhi You of copying Liang Shan’s design and wants to pursue legal action. Yu Wen admits that she did it. She has sacrificed much for Zhi You and would rather destroy his chance of winning the project than to let it become his wedding gift. Zhi You says the result is no longer important. He has now lost a friend and business partner and she has become a stranger to him.
Yu Liang was Zhi You’s teacher but stole his design 5 years ago. Zhi You left to set up his own firm. Yu Wen followed him because she loves him and didn’t agree with her father’s action. Yu Liang asks Zhi You to admit to the plagiarism and he will ask Mr. Wei not to pursue legal claims. Nothing will leak out to mar Zhi You’s reputation. Otherwise, word will get out that he copied Liang Shan’s design and his firm will go bankrupt. Gu Bo, Li Zhe, and Yi Ren support Zhi You’s decision to fight back.
Yu Wen tells Qi Ming the truth about her father. He asks her to inform Mr. Wei but that will mean her father and his company are doomed. She asks Qi Ming to take her away and she will marry him. Zhi You sees a way to prove the design is theirs. During the signing ceremony for the project, Zhi You and Li Zhe prove that Yu Liang’s design is flawed.
Yu Wen appears to confirm her father has stolen Zhi You’s current and past design which causes him to faint. Yu Wen decides to leave Zhi You’s firm to travel with Qi Ming for now. She doesn’t love him but would let nature takes its course. Her father has suffered a stroke. Her mother wants her to take over a failing Liang Shan but she is still undecided. Yu Wen parts with Zhi You on a friendly note. Zhi You and Yi Ren get married with Li Zhe walking her down the aisle.
Other Office Romance Dramas
Apart from Mr. Honesty, there are plenty of other office romance dramas if you are interested in this genre. Perfect Partner is one of them with the PR world being central to the story. Besides the romance, the drama also has an investigative element to it which makes it more interesting overall. For an intern and manager romance, you can check out Find Yourself. This is not your typical rom-com but one that explores an older woman and younger man relationship. There is a large age gap between the male and female lead and the drama depicts the pressure the woman faces.
If you want an off-the-charts chemistry in the main couple, you will have to watch Here To Heart. This is a melodrama with a lot of ups and downs in their relationship. Some people will find it to be draggy but it also has plenty of fans around the world. It is a drama that can get you emotionally invested in the story if you can overlook the flaws in both the male and female characters. Finally, if you are just looking for a short and relaxing watch, you can have a go with Lucky’s First Love. It is a typical male boss and female subordinate romance that is ideal for a lazy weekend.
Image Credit: Tencent
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I found your summary of each chapter extremely concise and useful. Your recommendations were on point. Thank you.