Chinese Drama 2024
Sweet Trap (Chinese Drama Review & Summary)
Tian Tian De Xian Jing poster
- Genre: Idol Romance, Food
- Release Date: 29 January 2024
- Origin: China
- Cdrama: 24 Episodes
Cast
- Xie Bin Bin as Jiang Jie
- Zhang Miao Yi as Li Nai
- Tian Xu Ning as Cui Can
- Yakisa as Jiang Xiu
- Xu Yang Hao as Jiang Xu Yang
- Xing Wen Jie as Jiang Yuan Shan / Jiang Yuan Feng
- Li Shu Man as Zhu Hao
- Xiong Yi Fan as Cui Jing
- Kimi Yang as Zheng Fang Xing
- Shi Chao as Ge Qun Shan
- Xie Xin as Zhao Jing Jing
- Ye Xiao Qiu as Song Duo
Quick Precis
An intern in the culinary world falls in love with a tsundere chef.
Snippets
- 15 May 2023: It is a wrap.
- 25 January 2024: Due to broadcast on 29 January 2024.
Episode 1
I actually watched the first five episodes in one sitting. Miaoyi is so cute and had a lot of chemistry with Xie Bin Bin.
The location is apparently Baichuan City which is well known for its cuisine.
200 years ago, the Emperor passed Baichuan. The local officials gathered the cooks to prepare a feast for the monarch. Seven dishes particularly caught the Emperor’s attention.
The seven cooks, Li, Xue, Ge Zhao, Cao, Jiang and Chai were given a knife with a five star carving.
This however created a problem as these seven cooks became a monopoly and those chefs without the background could not prosper in the field of cooking.
So what they did was to challenge the famous cooks to get their knives and these continued to these days.
Liu Ping, a 4-star cook of the Liu Restaurant was being challenged by Jiang Jie a a four star cook of Chungcheng.
Jiang Jie won and was given the knife. These was the 22nd knife that he had won so he was elevated to a five star chef.
The next. chef Jiang Jie challenged was Xue Congming, he happens to be the mentor of Li Nai.
Xue Congming had lost his sense of taste so Jiang Jie won. Jiang Jie felt elated because defeating Xue Congming was more than just a contest. It was a revenge for a incident a long time ago when he went begging Congming to take his young sister to mentor as a chef. Congming shut the door on their faces.
Jiang Jie was just leaving with Caoming’s 5 star knife when he overheard Congming calling his protegee, Li Nai.
This shocked Jiang Jie. He had been looking for Li Nai for the longest time.
Li Nai was the girl, his best friend when he was in the orphanage. Li Nai protected him all the time.
Anyway, Li Nai promised her master that she will take back the knife from Jiang Jie one day,.
Episode 2
Without his knife, Master Congming retired.
Li Nai decided to open Caoming’s restaurant with her best friend and confidant, Cui Can.
However, it did not last long as the Alliance closed them down due to the many negative comments received in Baichuan Food’s official site.
Being unemployed, Li Nai applied for a job at Changming, Jiang Jie’s restaurant. She thought what better place to learn and take back the knife than where Jiang Jie was.
During the interview, she met Song Duo who was curious about her food background. He was amazed that she did not go to a culinary school instead she was an alumni of Jinghai University of Finance and Economics.
LI Nai was accepted but was very upset when she was kept out of the kitchen. Instead, she was tasked to manage the storeroom/warehouse.
Episode 3
At last, Li Nai qa partially allowed to come into the kitchen to cook the staff lunch. It was not a success as Jiang Jie deemed her food was bland and stinky.
He explained to her that she did not clean the knives and the board before she started chopping so the wonton she made was contaminated by the fish cut on the chopping board.
Li Nai understood and thought to do better in the future..
She asked Jiang Jie why she ended up in the storeroom instead of the kitchen like the other new hire.
Jiang Jie told her that she showed great smelling power.
It turned out that she lives with her dad, Li Dong at the same apartment building as Jiang Jie so he started taking her under his wings.
The power of her great smelling ability became Jiang Jie’s secret weapon. He used her to research the signature dish of a Zhaoyeqing Restaurant which was next on his list to challenge. The food was called Soy-Braised Pork with Abalone.
Song Duo was a bit miffed that Jiang Jie seemed to be partial towards Li Nai.
Episode 4
Jiang Jie issued a challeged to Zhao Jingjing of Zhaoyeqing Restaurant.
Jiang Jing Jing played it a bit dirty by making sure that no one would sell abalone to Jiang Jie. But then Li Nai has her connections and was able to get fresh abalone.
Jiang Jie and Li Nai then cooked up a winning abalone recipe.
Their green abalone with sea grapes won over golden abalone by Jiang Jing Jing.,
Episode 5
Jiang Jing Jing surrendered her five-star knife to Jiang Jie.
Meanwhile, the Jiang Family was celebrating the return of Jiang Xue, Jiang Jie’s sister.
Jiang Xue is expected to become the head chef of Xijiangyue restaurant.
She is very capable but very spoilt and feisty.
Durihng the party, Li Nai heard that her father had gone missing. She immediately left the event followed by Jiang Jie, ignoring his sister who was hot very happy.
Li Dong used to be the security guard at the orphanage before he went ill mentally. Now Li Dong is like a child who Li Nai cares for and doted on.
Jiang Jie helped the father and daughter the best that he can.
Episode 6
Jiang Jie felt the care from Li Nai which he appreciates as no one really i his family worry that much about him.
Jiang Xue set Li Nai up. She went to Jiang Jie’s restaurant when her brother was not around. She made Li Nai cooked her food.
Jiang Jie found out about it and hurried to the restaurant. Good thing too because he found Jiang Xue collapsed on the ground. He saw the almond cake on the table.
Jing Xue was in the hospital with Jiang Jie who knew what she did. She purposely ordered a nutty cake despite her nut allergy just to set up Li Nai.
Jiang Xue wanted to know if Li Nai is Jiang Jie’s girlfriend. He denied it of course.
Just after the trouble with Jiang Xue, Li Nai was set up again. She was ordered to procure ham by Jiang Jie but no one in town was prepared to sell them ham becaue Jiang Xue had been busy spreading negative comments about Jiang Jie’s restaurant.
So Li Nai had to resort to her contacts again.
The ham was to be used to make bento boxes for the orphanage.
Li Nai saw a group photo where she was standing next to a boy who reminded her of Jiang Jie. She thought that it could not be him.
As expected, something went wrong with the bento boxes, the children ended up in the hospital due to food poisoning.
Episode 7
Jiang Jie made sure to clear Li Nai’s name. However, he is now investigating the culprit within his own restaurant that was sabotaging him.
Li Nai move to a cheaper apartment which was nearer to a activity place for her father. During the move Cui Can found a very tarnished knife. When he had it cleaned, it turned out that the knife was one of the original seven and Li Nai was heir to the Li Clan cook.
With this knife, Li Nai asked Cui Can to help her look for a new place to start her new restaurant.
Episode 8
The ham culprit was revealed as Song Duo who for the last time tried to burn Chengnam resturant and blame it on Li Nai.
But Li Nai is a feisty girl and Jiang Jie turned up. Song Duo was arrested.
Meanwhile, Li Nai finally revealed that recognised Jiang Jie as her friend from the orphanage. Jiang Jie was so excited about it but Li Nai had more pressing thing on her mind as she had already found the place for her new restaurant.
But she was force to join the staff to a team building.
Episode 9
The team building was doing a murder mystery weekend. It ended up as an attempted murder when Jiang Yuan Shan trapped both Jiang Jiu and Li Nai in a unventilated basement where there were jars of pickles.
Jiang Jiu and Li Nai can’t get out because Jiang Yuan Shan removed the portable ladder to the basement.
Jiang Yuan Shan did it because he was upset that Grandpa Jiang seemd to favour both Jiang Xue and Jiang Jiu over his son, Jiang Xu Yang.
Feisty Jiang Xue knew something was wrong when she can’t find her brother. She eventually managed to get from Jiang Yuan Shan the whereabouts of Jiang Jui and Li Nai.
Both Jiang Jui and Li Nai are on the point of collapsing from the toxic pickle fume.
Jiang Jui saw that Li Nai was unresponsive so he kissed her. It did not look like he was giving her resuscitation🤣🤣🤣
Episode 10
15Li Nai woke up in the hospital where a sleeping Jiang Jui was also confined. Li Nai got out of her bed and went to stare at the handsome visage of the sleeping Jiang Jui.
She jumped back into her bed when he showed sign of waking.
Jiang Jiu then went to crouch next to her bea and stare at her, asking her if she remembered what happened.
Li Nai pretended to not know what he was talking about. But then he was persistent and even turn up in her house almost at the middle of the night to give her an aquarium for the tilapia he gave her as a pet. He then wanted to confirm that she was awake during the basement ordeal.
Meanwhile, Jiang Jiu told his sister that his preparing to challenge Ge Qungshan next. Jiang Xue knew that there is bad blood between the Ge and their father so the time of reckoning is coming.
Episode 11
Jiang Jiu’s cousin begged him to not report his father to the police for what he had done.
Anyway, Li Nai with Cui Can opened a new restaurant. It was lovely but not one customer could be tempted to dine in.
Li Nai asked Jiang Jiu how he started as a restauranteur. He said that his advice is expensive so she had to pay him 1000.
He showed her how to be more inventive with ingredients and how to cater to particular customer/s.
He later took her camping to get her alone and share the same tent.
Episode 12
Finally, customers are pouring in at Li Nai’s restaurant. But she had not told Jiang Jiu about it. She begged everyone in the know to keep it secret from Jiang Jiu for now.,
Meanwhile, Jiang Xu Yang had been trying to get close to Li Nai. He was planning to use her against Jiang Jiu.
Episode 13
Li Nai issued a challenge to Jiang Jiu. He did not know tha Li Nai was the one challenging him as he still not aware that she opened her own restaurant.
Episode 14
Jiang Jiu visited Li Nai’s Eating At Dusk restaurant which put Li Nai in a bit of a pickle as she does not want Jiang Jiu that she opened a restaurant.
Anyway, to continue keeping Jiang Jiu in the dark, Li Nai recruited Zhou Jing Jing to do the cooking.
Jing Jing turned up she said Jiang Jiu knew her cooking so the preparation of the food was left to poor Cui Can.
Li Nai pretended that she heard that Jiang Jiu was going to Eating at Dusk so she turned up to accompany him. The food served to them were barely edible.
Jiang Jiu confessed that he thought Li Nai was the one from the Family Li but as she wa dining with him then it could be someone else. It could even be his cousin, Jiang Xu Yang.
Annoying Jiang Xue turned up and almost let the cat out of the bag but Cui Can cut the power so Jiang Jiu and Linai had to leave.
Meanwhile, Jiang Xuyang had been busy making a deal with possible judges to the cooking challenge. Xuyang wanted them to undermark Jiang Jiu and lose the competition and the knife.
Episode15
It was Jiang Jiu’s birthday. Li Nai made him some beef soup which was so good Jiang Jiu ate every drop of it.
He then asked her if he had found her first rather than Master Xue Congming, would Li Nai stay at Jiang Jiu’s side.
This confused Li Nai but she said no.
Jiang Jiu was crashed.
Master Xue’s condition was getting worst. The doctors told Li Nai and Cui Can to say their goodbyes and indulge Master Xue the best then can.
Li Nai was determined more than ever to take back Master Xue’s knife from Jiang Jiu.
It was the day of the cook up. Jiang Jiu was surprised when Li Nai turned up as his opponent.
Jiang Jiu for the first time was making mistakes in his cooking.
They time was up in more ways than one because also at that moment, Master Xue passed away in the hospital.
Episode 16
Cui Jing was gotten by Jiang Xu Yang. He told her that he knew the Cui company was in trouble but if he allied with him, he could her bring the company back to health.
So Cui Jing who had the deciding vote, voted for Li Nai.
Li Nai won which shocked everyone, including Li Nai. But Jiang Jiu was a magnanimous loser and gave Master Xue’s knife back to Li Nai.
Master Xue left his money between Li Nai and Cui Can telling them to use it to get their dreams.
The press began to suspect the cheating in the cooking contest because there is no way that Li Nai could be better than Jiang Jiu.
Cui Can found out that his sister cheated but Cui Jing showed him how their company is in the red and she had no choice but to cooperate with Jiang Xuyang.
Cui Can understood and promised not to say anything but because he felt so guilty, he resigned from Eating At Dusk.
Finally, she found out how Jiang Jiu’s father had been a victim of his own family. Jiang Jiu saw how his uncle attacked his father.
Li Nai went running to Jiang Jiu’s apartment but he was not there because he was driven away by a man, whose truck Jiang Jiu staggered to hide from men he were trying to beat him up when he stumbled drunkenly on their table.
When Jiang Jiu woke up he was in the village and more or less held hostage by the driver who wanted money from Jiang Jiu.
Jiang Jiu wanted to pay but he lost his phone.
Episode 17
Jing Jing helps in Li Nai’s restaurant which was getting high rating.
Li Na and Jing Jing were trying to make Eating at Dusk to be second to none because if the Alliance recognised them as such, Li Nai and Jing Jing planned to make a request that can’t be declined by the alliance. Their request would be to discontinue the practice of Knife Seizing.
Episode 18
It has been two months. Li Nai and Jing Jing were sourcing some ingredients when Li Nai thought she spotted Jiang Jiu.
She started searching for Jiang Jiu once again. She realised where to find him. it must be where Ge Qun Shan.
So Li Nai took Li Jidong with her to the mountains and sure enough she found Jiang JIu who was not happy to see her.
He told her rather cruelly that he does not want to see her again. So when she had left the next morning, he was still shocked and disappointed that she did go.
Finally, Ge Qun Shan gave him his knife and told him to use the knife to break the autocratic Alliance who would not give small restaurant a chance to flourish.
Episode 19
Jiang Jiu is back in town. He was inundated with offers to work in various restaurants. including at Eating At Dusk.
Li Nai bugged him to work with her but he was her hanging. He did tell her that he might join her if she passes the Alliance’s review.
Li Nai was happy to accept his decision at first as she was confident that she can pass the review quite easily that it until she found out from Cui Can, who had become a reviewer for the Alliance that it would be virtually impossible for her to pass the review as Jiang Xuyang and Cui Jing are against Li Nai.
Then Jiang Yuan Feng also joined the foray against Jiang Jiu and Li Nai.
Jiang Jiu’s bottom line is Li Nai so he warned his uncle not to touch Li Nai or else.
Episode 20 – the episode to rewatch over and over again.
Li Nai found out why she can’t pass the review no matter how good she was. She went directly to the Jiang Patriarch and told him that Jiang Su Yang was planning to buy restaurants and open a chain restaurant with pre-packed food.
The Jiang Patriarch as aghast what Suyang was planning was going against the 200 years old ideal of the Alliance of the original seven chefs where they should be innovating to create the best food.
So the partriarch there and then passed Li Nai.
Li Nai and Jing Jing were celebrating when Jiang Jiu turned up as the third chef of Eating at Dusk.
And the cutest thing happened.
Li Nai and Jiang Jie finally became official. They are in a relationship. Awww🤗🤗
Episode 21
Li Nai and Jiang Jie are so loved up. At first though Jiang Jie was upset with Li Nai because she was determined to hide their relationship. She would push him away everytime someone, especially Jing Jing, was around. But then Li Nai found out that JIng Jing that it was obvious that Li Nai and Jiang Jie are dating. So they are now more open.
It was the 70th birthday of Patriarch Jiang as well as the annual meeting of the Alliance. These two events were decided to be celebrated as one and invited the chefs from Baichuan City.
Episode 22
The B-day/Alliance celebration went ahead. Jiang Jie’s father’s name had been cleared and yet Jiang Xuyang continued his dastardly plans to open a chain restaurant.
He tried to create discord between Li Nai and Jiang Jie by telling Li Nai that the contest between her and Jiang Jie was manipulated. Jiang Xuyang was now saying that Jiang Jie only joined Eating at Dusk to carry out his revenge.
Li Nai was not having any of it. Instead she told the rather shocked Jiang Xuyang that she will now challenge the Jiang for their knife. When she wins the Alliance will be a different thing.
Jiang Jie overheard what was said and was very proud of Li Nai. She was true and loyal to him and told her that he will help her with the knife challenge.
The only problem was that they had to get the knife from defeating Jiang Xui.
Episode 23
Jiang Xue confessed to Cai Can that she was petrified of being abandoned because she virtually grew up alone. There and then Cai Can told her that they should registered their marriage as he will never leave her again.
Cai Can went to search for his family register when he found his sister contract marriage to Jiang Xuyang.
His sister so him and had him locked up in their house. Poor Jiang Xue was left waiting for him at the register office.
Fortunately, Cai Can was able to sent a copy of the marriage certificate of his sister to Jiang Xue randomly to Master Cao who got intrigued and went to find Jiang Jue.
Jiang Xui with Jiang Jue, Li Nai and Jing Jing went to rescue Cai Can.
Episode 24
It was the day of the knife challenge between Jiang Xue and Li Nai but Jiang Xufang plotted to keep Li Nai from the contest through Li Jidong.
So in the end it was left to Jiang Jui to compete with Jiang Xue.
There was really no clear winner because it was exposed that Cai Jing was not a trusty and valid judge because of her previous cheating with the contest between Jiang Jue and Li Nai.
Two months later…
Anyway, everyone had their happy ending except for Jiang Sufang who was arrested with his father.
The Alliance had been broken.
Zhao Jing Jing was about to open her own restaurant.
Jiang Xue and Cai Can were expecting their first baby.
While, Li Nai and Jiang Jui are so loved up in their Eating at Dusk restaurant.