Episode Summary

Xue Xiaozhou hires Hu Manli as his assistant at Taiying International, facing internal skepticism. Their first major task is to sign client Li Fendou, but they immediately face competition from Tang Ling's team, who gains an initial advantage. Li Qingqing reveals she arranged this rivalry, putting Xue Xiaozhou and Hu Manli's jobs on the line if they fail. Meanwhile, family tensions rise as Ding Da'er moves in with his father Ding Zhiyuan and stepmother Qiu Lisu, leading to conflict over a meaningful suit given by Hu Manli. Xue Xiaozhou attempts to secure an introduction to Li Fendou by intentionally losing a tennis match to Gu Tianming, but the plan backfires. Hu Manli discovers that Li Fendou's daughter, Li Yuke, is someone she previously knew under the alias You Qi, and helps her resolve an issue with a landlord. Hesitant to use this connection immediately and with Xue's plan failed, Hu Manli decides to approach Li Fendou directly at his company.

Spoiler Alert

Recap: The High-Stakes Client Chase

So, Xue Xiaozhou basically ignored everyone's side-eye and brought Hu Manli on board as his assistant at Taiying International Insurance. Talk about confidence, right? Their very first mission, should they choose to accept it (and they kinda have to), is landing the big whale: Li Fendou.

Getting to Li Fendou is proving tougher than expected. They finally manage to connect with his gatekeeper, Secretary Yan, after a whole lot of effort. Hu Manli even pulls some strings to get Li Fendou's daughter, Keke (presumably Li Yuke, we'll get to that!), two concert tickets – nice touch! But bam! Just when they think they're making progress, Tang Ling and her investment team swoop in. Not only does Tang Ling get there first, but she also comes bearing a way better gift: a special invitation for Keke to meet the star up close. Ouch.

Secretary Yan ushers Tang Ling's crew in to meet the big boss, leaving Xue Xiaozhou and Hu Manli cooling their heels. Frustrated, Xue Xiaozhou goes straight to Li Qingqing to complain, hoping she'll tell Tang Ling to back off. Plot twist! Li Qingqing orchestrated this whole thing. She actually respects Xue Xiaozhou's skills but wasn't thrilled about him insisting on hiring Hu Manli. So, she set up a little "friendly" competition: Xue Xiaozhou and Hu Manli vs. Tang Ling. The stakes? If Xue and Hu can't sign Li Fendou within the deadline, they're both fired. Yikes!

Meanwhile, Family Drama Brews...

Over on the home front, Ding Da'er is trying to ease Hu Manli's pressure by moving in with his dad, Ding Zhiyuan, and stepmom, Qiu Lisu. Noble gesture, but it leads to instant friction. The housekeeper accidentally shrinks one of Ding Zhiyuan's suits in the wash. Ding Da'er immediately recognizes it – it was a 40th birthday gift from his mom, Hu Manli. Ding Zhiyuan asks the housekeeper to try and fix it, but Qiu Lisu, clearly annoyed, just tells her to toss it.

This does not sit well with Ding Da'er. He confronts Qiu Lisu right then and there and saves the suit. Ding Zhiyuan pulls him aside later, acknowledging Ding Da'er was right but advising him to handle things more delicately, especially since Qiu Lisu is pregnant and getting upset isn't good for the baby. Basically, learn to pick your battles and be patient. Easier said than done, right? Ding Da'er is still fuming later and video calls Hu Manli. She can tell something's up, thinking he's upset about something at her place and offers to pick him up. He lies, saying it was just a tiff with a classmate, and quickly ends the call, claiming he has homework. Poor kid is trying to protect his mom but carrying his own burden now.

Back to Business: Different Strategies, Mixed Results

Hu Manli sees a group message confirming Li Qingqing has officially assigned Tang Ling to the Li Fendou case too. She remembers that Ding Zhiyuan wrote the preface for Li Fendou's autobiography and thinks maybe he could make an introduction. Xue Xiaozhou, however, shoots down the idea of using personal connections. His plan? Another tennis match with Gu Tianming, but this time, he'll intentionally lose to get on Gu Tianming's good side and hopefully get that intro to Li Fendou.

So, Xue Xiaozhou heads off early with his racket, telling Hu Manli he's got a meeting. He finds Gu Tianming at the courts and offers to be his practice partner. Game on.

While Xue is playing his (losing) game, Tang Ling presents several proposals to Li Fendou, but he's not impressed with any of them. He ditches the meeting and heads to his daughter Li Yuke's accessory shop. Turns out, "Keke" is Li Yuke. Their reunion isn't exactly warm and fuzzy – they immediately start bickering. She demands money for an air conditioner (which he gives her via transfer), and he pushes her again to take over the family business. She flat-out refuses, even telling him to have another kid if he wants an heir! Fed up, Li Fendou storms out.

Hu Manli's Discovery & Xue Xiaozhou's Setback

Hu Manli does some digging and confirms Li Fendou's daughter is Li Yuke. And ding ding ding! She recognizes her – Li Yuke used to work at a boutique Hu Manli frequented, going by the name You Qi! Hu Manli heads straight to Li Yuke's (aka You Qi's) shop. Just as she arrives, the landlord shows up causing trouble because Li Yuke installed a security door blocking access to a shared bathroom for an upstairs tenant. Quick-thinking Hu Manli suggests paying the landlord extra compensation, settling the dispute for 500 yuan, which Li Yuke agrees to. Hu Manli is definitely making inroads with the daughter!

Meanwhile, Xue Xiaozhou's tennis plan completely backfires. He throws the match, but Gu Tianming isn't stupid. He sees right through the act, gets angry that Xue Xiaozhou isn't being genuine, and refuses to introduce him to Li Fendou. Oof.

Spoilers & What's Next:

  • Hu Manli's Dilemma: She now knows that the "You Qi" she knew is actually Li Fendou's daughter, Li Yuke. This is a huge potential advantage! She considers telling Xue Xiaozhou but remembers he insisted on landing the client through his own efforts, without relying on connections.
  • Hu Manli Goes Solo (For Now): With Xue Xiaozhou's tennis plan failing and hesitant to reveal her Li Yuke connection just yet, Hu Manli decides to take matters into her own hands. She goes to Li Fendou's company building.
  • The Parking Lot Gambit: Denied entry at the front desk because she doesn't have an appointment, Hu Manli cleverly fishes for information about Li Fendou's movements and decides her best bet is to wait for him in the parking lot.

So, Episode 29 leaves us with Hu Manli about to make a bold move, trying to intercept Li Fendou directly, while Xue Xiaozhou is licking his wounds after his failed strategy. The competition is fierce, their jobs are on the line, and family drama is simmering in the background. Can Hu Manli leverage her connection to Li Yuke? Will Xue Xiaozhou figure out a new plan? And will Tang Ling ultimately win the client?