Episode Summary
Fang Jie faces pressure from neighbors and demolition crews over her refusal to sell her restaurant, while Shang Bao tries to support her. At Risheng, Zhao Jiadi proposes a risky plan to short oil futures to recoup recent losses, inadvertently putting his boss Lin Peng in jeopardy with internal rivals. A surprising intervention by Wang Qihan, revealed to be a partner, saves the plan for now. Meanwhile, Wei Jinghai escalates his dangerous activities, moving large sums of cash via underground channels and dealing with internal threats. Qi Dongcao prepares to use her resources to back Zhao Jiadi. Li Zhijin struggles with revealing her identity to Zhao Jiadi and, upon learning about Risheng's plan, decides to trade against them, narrowly missing Zhao Jiadi in the process.
Spoiler Alert
Zhao Jia Di Season 2, Episode 11 Recap & Spoilers
Alright, so first up, we check in with Fang Jie. Her little eatery is actually doing alright, business-wise. But she's got a major headache: the demolition crew wants her out, and she's refusing to sign the contract. This isn't making her popular with the neighbors, and things get nasty when some spitfire granny starts taking her anger out on Fang Jie's young son, Tongtong. Our guy Shang Bao hears the verbal abuse and is ready to go medieval with a mop, but Fang Jie manages to calm him down. He scoops up Tongtong and retreats into the shop, simmering.
Seeing how mature and understanding little Tongtong is despite the stress breaks Fang Jie's heart a bit. She decides to close shop for the day and take Tongtong out for some fun with Shang Bao. Shang Bao tries to cheer her up, promising he'll talk to Zhao Jiadi and figure something out. But just as they're planning their day off, guess who shows up? Yep, the demolition people. Talk about bad timing.
Meanwhile, over at the high-stakes world of Risheng company, Zhao Jiadi has put together a proposal and runs it by Wang Qihan. "Old Wang" gives him the inside scoop: Risheng runs on a partnership model, meaning it's riddled with factions and internal politics. Apparently, the nerdy-looking guy in Risk Management has it out for Lin Peng. Lin Peng's performance numbers are rock solid, so his rival hasn't been able to touch him... until now. This whole mess gives the rival the opening he's been waiting for. Hearing this, it hits Zhao Jiadi like a ton of bricks – he realizes he's the one who inadvertently landed Lin Peng in hot water. Ouch.
Speaking of Lin Peng, he gets back from a business trip and walks right into a firestorm. As the boss overseeing both Zhao Jiadi and Song Mingjian, the huge losses from their recent blunder (which Zhao Jiadi is trying to fix) have put a target on his back. Risk Management is breathing down his neck, and his rivals are circling. While the higher-ups are busy discussing how to hold Lin Peng accountable, Zhao Jiadi bursts into the meeting room, claiming he's found a way to recoup the company's losses. Nobody really believes him, and since Lin Peng isn't a partner yet, he doesn't have the clout to back Zhao Jiadi up effectively.
Just when things look grim... plot twist! Wang Qihan strolls into the meeting. He calmly states he trusts Zhao Jiadi and will personally take responsibility if things go south. The Risk Management guy, seeing his plan foiled, has no choice but to slink away. Zhao Jiadi's jaw practically hits the floor. Turns out "Old Wang," the guy he thought was just some researcher buried in data, is actually a partner at Risheng! Big reveal! At the same time, Lin Peng also gets a surprise, realizing Zhao Jiadi's connection with Jiang Tanle isn't what he'd assumed. Lots of misunderstandings getting cleared up (or maybe just replaced with new ones?).
Elsewhere, Wei Jinghai is making some seriously shady moves. He wants to move a massive amount of cash overseas using underground banking channels, facilitated by someone called Jiao Ye. He shows up with the Factory Director and literally a car packed full of cash. Jiao Ye warns him not to play too big, mentioning the unreliability of folks overseas, but Wei Jinghai is brimming with confidence, armed with some deep analysis of the US government (uh oh?). He also identifies and confronts a mole within his operation, Manager He, threatening him quite effectively. The Factory Director witnesses this whole exchange from the car, looking understandably terrified. Wei Jinghai is playing with fire.
Back to the high-stakes finance world: Zhao Jiadi presents his detailed analysis to Lin Peng. His plan? Short crude oil futures. It's a bold, risky move. Li Qian acknowledges the potential of Zhao Jiadi's strategy but reminds everyone that Risheng is already under pressure and absolutely cannot afford any more losses. Despite the risks, Lin Peng gives the green light, approving Zhao Jiadi's plan. Unbeknownst to them, Qi Dongcao is mobilizing her own considerable resources to help Zhao Jiadi. She orders her team to pause all company acquisitions and consolidate all funds from overseas accounts, ready to jump in if needed. That's some serious backup!
Amidst all this chaos, poor Shang Bao wanted to talk to Zhao Jiadi about Fang Jie's restaurant troubles, but seeing how swamped Zhao Jiadi is with the Risheng crisis, he decides to hold off. Can't catch a break!
And then there's Li Zhijin. She's wrestling with whether or not to tell Zhao Jiadi who she really is. Xu Ziqi is completely baffled why Li Zhijin, presumably someone important or wealthy, would fall for Zhao Jiadi, who seems like just some ordinary, broke guy (especially after whatever happened between them once). But Li Zhijin has her reasons. She actually likes that people underestimate him; she feels she's the only one who sees his potential, his "light."
The next day, it's go-time at Risheng. Lin Peng rallies the trading department for the "tough battle" ahead, while Li Qian tries to keep everyone calm. But uh-oh, Li Zhijin somehow finds out about Risheng's plan to short the market. She storms into Risheng, confronts Lin Peng directly, and declares she's going to trade against them. Financial war is declared!
Just as this is happening, Zhao Jiadi pops downstairs to grab something from Shang Bao. On his way back up, he sees a crowd gathered outside the elevators (likely due to Li Zhijin's dramatic entrance/exit) and decides to take the stairs instead. And in a classic near-miss moment, he walks right past Li Zhijin on the staircase, neither of them realizing the other was there.
So, Episode 11 leaves us with Fang Jie cornered, Zhao Jiadi launching a high-risk financial gamble with surprise backing from Wang Qihan and Qi Dongcao, Wei Jinghai diving deeper into dangerous territory, and Li Zhijin unknowingly setting herself up for a direct clash with Zhao Jiadi in the market. Things are definitely heating up!
