Episode Summary
Li Minxian returns and warns Wei Jinghai regarding the Nanshan Chamber of Commerce election and potential internal conflicts, prompting Wei Jinghai to suspect a mole. Meanwhile, Zhao Jiadi excels at Risheng and gains live trading privileges, while the highly educated Song Mingjian struggles for opportunities. Left unsupervised during a volatile market event (supertanker explosion), Song Mingjian panics and makes a disastrous trading error, causing significant losses for the company. During the investigation, team leader Ming Gu deflects blame onto Song Mingjian, but Zhao Jiadi steps up to share responsibility, impressing Song Mingjian. The episode ends with Zhao Jiadi feeling uncertain while awaiting the company's decision and finding comfort in a call with Qi Dongcao.
Spoiler Alert
Zhao Jia Di Season 2, Episode 10 Recap & Spoilers: Office Politics, High Stakes, and One Costly Mistake
So, Li Minxian is back in the picture, and first on his agenda is a little chat with Wei Jinghai. The topic? The upcoming Nanshan Chamber of Commerce election. Li Minxian drops some not-so-subtle hints that Wei Jinghai and Li Zhijin should probably watch each other's backs. He also mentions hearing some "rumors" – seems Wei Jinghai might have stirred up some trouble during his trip to Tangcheng. Li Minxian lays down the law: using the Chamber for personal revenge? Absolutely not happening on his watch. He won't hesitate to crack down.
Wei Jinghai plays it cool on the surface, but Li Minxian's thinly veiled warning clearly rattles him. He rushes home and immediately calls a meeting with his top execs, determined to sniff out a potential mole. He pulls out several expensive men's watches, talking about rewarding key players, but pointedly ignores a female executive in the room. Hmm, seems Wei Jinghai already has his suspicions about who might be leaking info.
Meanwhile, Li Zhijin is burning the midnight oil. When she finally gets home, her dad, Li Minxian, starts nagging her about getting married already. Li Zhijin, however, isn't having it, insisting you can't force love but promising she'll find him a worthy son-in-law eventually.
Over at the Risheng company, Zhao Jiadi is seriously impressing everyone. He's progressing like lightning and is already cleared for live trading. Contrast that with Song Mingjian, the highly educated guy who joined at the same time but is still firmly planted on the bench. Poor Song Mingjian tries to break the ice with his colleagues, even buying coffee for everyone, but gets the cold shoulder and ends up sulking at his desk.
Just then, the team leader, Ming Gu, walks in, looking stressed while staring at his phone. Song Mingjian sees his chance and follows him out, practically begging Ming Gu to let him try live trading. Ming Gu looks hesitant but eventually tells Song Mingjian to sit next to Zhao Jiadi and learn by watching. Zhao Jiadi clearly has reservations – he doesn't think Song Mingjian is cut out for the high-pressure trading floor – but since Ming Gu gave the order, he reluctantly agrees.
With the whole team glued to the oil market charts, things seem stable for a moment. Ming Gu decides it's a good time for a little chat and pulls Zhao Jiadi outside, leaving Song Mingjian in charge of watching the monitors.
Up on the rooftop, Ming Gu gets philosophical. He tells Zhao Jiadi that while he and another guy, Lin Peng, seem different, they're actually quite similar: naturally talented, steady, likable. But, Ming Gu admits, being around people like that puts immense pressure on others, and it can breed resentment over time. Ming Gu confesses he was never a top student, never had that "natural gift," and feels a bit insecure about it, only getting ahead because he started working earlier. Zhao Jiadi opens up too, sharing that he wasn't a "born scholar" like Song Mingjian either; he had to build his knowledge bit by bit, hitting the books hard.
Downstairs, disaster strikes. News flashes about a supertanker explosion in the Malacca Strait. The trading floor erupts into chaos as everyone scrambles to buy positions. With Zhao Jiadi gone, Song Mingjian sees his opportunity but panics. Unfamiliar with the trading platform and completely overwhelmed, he makes a catastrophic error: instead of buying more (going long), he accidentally shorts the position! The company takes a massive hit.
Risk Management swoops in immediately to investigate the costly blunder. The key people involved are Ming Gu, Zhao Jiadi, and Song Mingjian. Song Mingjian bravely admits it was his mistake. But then, Ming Gu, the team leader, completely throws Song Mingjian under the bus, blaming him for everything and washing his hands of any responsibility.
In stark contrast, Zhao Jiadi steps up. He takes shared responsibility, stating he's willing to face the consequences alongside Song Mingjian and promising to do everything he can to help the company recover the losses. Song Mingjian, overhearing this from outside the room, is deeply moved. He realizes Zhao Jiadi is fundamentally different from Ming Gu and feels terrible about dragging him into this mess. Zhao Jiadi, in turn, seems relieved to see Song Mingjian's genuine remorse, confirming his assessment that the two men are worlds apart in character.
As the episode ends, the official punishment hasn't been decided yet. Zhao Jiadi is alone on the rooftop, feeling lost and uncertain about the future. He finds some solace reading Yang Qingdi's diary. Then, he makes a call to Qi Dongcao. She's in the middle of a meeting but immediately pauses it to call him back. Hearing the choked-up emotion in Zhao Jiadi's voice, she feels terrible for him, her heart clearly going out to him in this tough moment.
