Episode Summary
Xue Xiaozhou tries to secure a meeting with potential major client Li Fendou by charming his associate Gu Tianming. Meanwhile, his colleague Hu Manli intercepts Li Fendou directly, causing friction but also revealing her connection to Li's daughter, Li Yuke. Li Fendou, impressed by Hu's quick thinking and intrigued by her resemblance to his late wife, considers Xue's proposal and asks for a 30 million yuan family trust plan. Xue and Hu face immense pressure as their boss issues an ultimatum: land this deal or be fired. They also juggle a smaller, loyal client, Sun A'tao, whom Xue impatiently dismisses. Li Fendou adds another challenge, asking them to persuade his daughter Li Yuke to marry and have children. Hu Manli reluctantly agrees due to the job threat and also finds a potential new angle to secure Sun A'tao's business based on her disapproval of her future son-in-law.
Spoiler Alert
Trying to Land the Whale: The Li Fendou Saga Begins
So, our guy Xue Xiaozhou has been putting in the work – a whole week of playing ball with Gu Tianming. But here's the kicker: he's been losing on purpose! Why? He's trying to butter Gu Tianming up for an introduction to the big fish, Li Fendou. Gu Tianming eventually figures it out and isn't thrilled, feeling used. Xue Xiaozhou, caught red-handed, decides honesty is the best policy. He lays it all out – admits he was trying to curry favor because he heard Gu Tianming is a stand-up guy, and explains his real goal. Surprisingly, Gu Tianming is actually touched by Xue's sincerity (or maybe just worn down?) and makes the call right then and there, setting up a meeting for Xue with Li Fendou. The catch? Li Fendou is heading to a meeting with the Housing and Construction Committee, so Xue will have to pitch his insurance plan in the car on the way. Talk about pressure!
Enter Hu Manli: The Parking Garage Ambush
Meanwhile, Xue Xiaozhou's colleague, Hu Manli, isn't one to sit back. She gets wind of Li Fendou's meeting location from the front desk and decides to intercept him in the underground parking garage. Bold move! She introduces herself and immediately plays the Li Yuke card (remember that name!), basically claiming this deal is hers for the taking and just asking Li Fendou to meet her boss.
Just as she's making her pitch, Xue Xiaozhou rushes in. Awkward! Hu Manli introduces Xue, and Li Fendou is clearly annoyed. He complains about Xue going through Gu Tianming first and then sending an employee to ambush him. Hu Manli quickly tries to smooth things over, insisting her parking garage stunt was her own idea. Xue Xiaozhou, perhaps trying to look like a leader (or just take the heat), takes responsibility. Despite the rocky start, Li Fendou tells Xue to hop in the car to talk business.
A Stain, A Proposal, and a Cliffhanger
Before they can leave, disaster strikes! Secretary Yan notices a stain on Li Fendou's suit. There's no time to go back and change, and Li Fendou is not happy. Quick-thinking Hu Manli whips out a watercolor marker (seriously, who carries those?!) and cleverly covers the stain. Li Fendou is impressed. Phew!
In the car, Xue Xiaozhou hands over the insurance proposal. Li Fendou reads it through... and says absolutely nothing. He just gets out and heads into his meeting, leaving Xue hanging. Secretary Yan tells Xue to just go home and wait for news. Ouch.
The Fallout and a Key Revelation
Back home (or maybe the office?), Xue Xiaozhou confronts Hu Manli. He's ticked off about her parking garage stunt and thinks her helping Secretary Yan with the stain was beneath her ("lowly"). Hu Manli finally spills the beans: Li Yuke is Li Fendou's daughter. She was hoping to use her connection with Li Yuke to get an introduction. This revelation makes Xue Xiaozhou understand her angle a bit better, cooling his anger slightly.
Li Fendou's Interest Piqued
Turns out, Li Fendou had Secretary Yan check with his daughter, Li Yuke. Li Yuke confirms she knows Hu Manli and even recommended her for insurance! Intriguingly, Li Fendou mentions that Hu Manli reminds him of Li Yuke's late mother. Secretary Yan suggests letting Hu Manli communicate directly with Li Yuke, and Li Fendou agrees. Secretary Yan immediately messages Xue Xiaozhou with this promising development.
Juggling Clients: The Big vs. The Loyal
Just as Hu Manli and Xue Xiaozhou are about to head out to meet Secretary Yan, Hu gets a call from an old, loyal client, Sun A'tao. Hu has to make a choice. She asks Xue to go meet Secretary Yan alone while she rushes off to see Sun A'tao at a waste collection station (talk about different worlds!). Hu even remembers Sun A'tao's favorite snacks and brings them along. Sun A'tao has three million yuan maturing soon and wants Hu's help buying insurance.
Meanwhile, Xue Xiaozhou gets incredible news from Secretary Yan: Li Fendou wants a family trust plan and is looking to invest a whopping thirty million yuan! Xue is ecstatic. He immediately tells Hu Manli to put the Sun A'tao deal on the back burner; they need to focus everything on landing this massive Li Fendou account. Hu Manli feels bad about potentially losing Sun A'tao, but Xue insists they need to prioritize. Reluctantly, Hu agrees.
Impatience and Second Thoughts
But Sun A'tao's deposit matures tomorrow. She calls Hu Manli late at night, wanting to meet and sign the papers first thing in the morning. Hu pleads with Xue Xiaozhou to spare just one hour for this loyal client. Xue, though clearly annoyed, gives in.
The next morning, they meet Sun A'tao. She asks detailed questions about the insurance policy's returns and hesitates, noting it's not as high as bank interest. Xue Xiaozhou, laser-focused on the 30 million deal, loses his patience completely. He basically brushes Sun A'tao off with a few curt words and drags Hu Manli back to the office. Yikes, Xue! That might come back to bite him.
Matchmaking, Brainstorming, and High Stakes
In a lighter moment (or maybe just Hu being Hu), she tries to push Xue Xiaozhou towards dating You Qi, even suggesting he could marry into wealth ("be a live-in son-in-law"). Xue shuts that down fast.
They get back to brainstorming about Li Fendou. They figure his main goal is protecting his daughter Li Yuke's interests. Their idea? Propose a structure where Li Yuke's inheritance is guaranteed, which might allow Li Fendou to remarry and potentially have another child without affecting her share. (The text clarifies later that Li Fendou is deeply devoted to his late wife and hasn't remarried specifically because he doesn't want Li Yuke to have a stepmother).
Then comes the real request from Li Fendou, relayed via Secretary Yan: He heard Hu Manli gets along well with Li Yuke, so he wants Hu and Xue to persuade Li Yuke to get married and have children herself. Hu Manli immediately balks – she knows Li Yuke won't go for this and doesn't want to push her.
But Xue Xiaozhou drops a bomb: their boss, Li Qingqing, has given them an ultimatum. If they don't land the Li Fendou deal, both of them are fired. The stakes couldn't be higher. Faced with losing her job, Hu Manli has no choice but to agree to try and persuade Li Yuke.
A New Angle for an Old Client
The episode ends with Hu Manli having a realization about her other client. Remembering her conversation with Sun A'tao, she picked up on hints that Sun isn't happy with her future son-in-law. Hu decides this dissatisfaction might be the perfect angle to convince Sun A'tao that the insurance policy is a good idea after all.
