Episode Summary
The episode sees Huang Ruiyang and Wei Jinghai clash over Jinhai and the Li Shi Group, with Huang Ruiyang mocking Wei Jinghai's failures and ambition. Zhao Jiadi agrees to help Zhu Hongzhi find his potentially missing father. Wei Jinghai's career takes a nosedive when Li Minxian tries to send him abroad; this leads to a heated confrontation where Wei Jinghai reveals a dark past involving his father and Li Minxian, threatening to destroy the company. Li Minxian collapses from a cerebral hemorrhage after the argument. As Li Minxian fights for his life, Wei Jinghai makes a power play to take over his role and the mining rights. Zhao Jiadi, Shen Yulan, and Zhu Fengping decide to form a new company to challenge Wei Jinghai.
Spoiler Alert
The episode kicked off with Huang Ruiyang making a call to Wei Jinghai, and you just knew something was about to go down. They set up a meeting, and when night fell, Wei Jinghai rolled up to find Huang Ruiyang already waiting. The main topic of their not-so-friendly chat? Jinhai and the Li Shi Group, of course. Wei Jinghai was fishing for information on Chen Zhuhe's whereabouts, and Huang Ruiyang coolly revealed Chen Zhuhe had already skipped town on a boat. Classic Huang Ruiyang, using Chen Zhuhe as a bargaining chip. Wei Jinghai, ever ambitious, declared he was going to be the mining area's general commander and tried to get Huang Ruiyang to join his team.
But Huang Ruiyang wasn't buying what Wei Jinghai was selling. He pretty much laughed in Wei Jinghai's face, unimpressed by his "general commander" ambitions. He even threw some serious shade, mocking Wei Jinghai for fumbling the bag so badly – apparently, Wei Jinghai had a golden opportunity with Li Zhijin but ended up watching her become someone else's girl. Ouch! Before bouncing, Huang Ruiyang delivered a parting shot, telling Wei Jinghai to figure out "who's the master and who's the dog." You could practically see the steam coming out of Wei Jinghai's ears as he tried to keep his cool.
Meanwhile, Zhao Jiadi just got off the phone with Li Zhijin when Zhu Hongzhi showed up looking worried. Zhu Hongzhi spilled that his father might be missing and begged Zhao Jiadi for help. Zhao Jiadi, ever the pragmatist, pointed out that just suspecting something isn't enough for the cops to do much, especially since "they" (presumably the bad guys) are good at covering their tracks. He told Zhu Hongzhi to head home and let him handle it.
The next day, things took a dramatic turn. Wei Jinghai went to see Li Minxian, probably expecting a pat on the back. Instead, Li Minxian dropped a bombshell: he was shipping Wei Jinghai off to Calipurnia to manage a branch office and basically told him not to come back unless he was summoned. Wei Jinghai was stunned. He admitted he might have been a bit reckless at times, but he’d poured years of hard work into the company. He saw Li Minxian's move for what it was – getting rid of him to save his own skin, a classic "sacrifice the pawn to save the king" maneuver.
Li Minxian claimed he’d been more than lenient with Wei Jinghai, but now Wei Jinghai had crossed a line, and someone had to answer to the Fan family. Wei Jinghai, desperate, tried to play the sympathy card. He even talked about marrying Li Zhijin, crushing Zhao Xin, and handing Jinhai back to the Li family, promising to take care of Li Minxian in his old age. Then, he actually got on his knees and called him "Dad." It was a whole performance.
But Li Minxian wasn't moved. He knew Wei Jinghai's actions were indefensible, and sending him abroad was the kindest thing he could do. Seeing Li Minxian wouldn't budge, Wei Jinghai went full villain. He threatened to take the company's tech, talent, and clients with him, leaving Li Minxian with an empty shell. Li Minxian was shocked by Wei Jinghai's audacity but stood his ground, believing the Li Shi Group would survive because he had a clear conscience.
That "clear conscience" remark really set Wei Jinghai off. He threw it back in Li Minxian's face, accusing him of using Wei Mingyi's ideas and tech, only for Wei Mingyi to go from partner to underling, and eventually lose his life. According to Wei Jinghai, Wei Mingyi was a fool, and Li Minxian was a con artist who drove Wei Mingyi to suicide by debt collectors, leaving a young Wei Jinghai orphaned. Li Minxian, clearly guilt-ridden, denied Wei Jinghai's version of events, insisting his sixteen-year bond with Wei Mingyi wasn't like that. With tears in his eyes, Li Minxian basically disowned him and walked out, only to collapse right after leaving the room! Wei Jinghai, on the other hand, looked like he was just getting started, a grim expression on his face as he muttered, "The show is just beginning." Chills, I tell you!
Over with Zhao Jiadi, he tracked down some info on Zhu Fengping (Zhu Hongzhi's dad) and confirmed it's highly likely Jiao Ye was behind his kidnapping. Now, they're just waiting on the police investigation. Just then, Zhao Jiadi got a call that Li Minxian was in trouble. He rushed to the hospital with Li Zhijin to find Li Minxian unconscious due to a sudden cerebral hemorrhage. Doctors said the next 48 hours were critical.
Never one to miss an opportunity, Wei Jinghai had Zhao Jiadi pass a message to Shen Yulan: he was taking over Li Minxian's seat at the chamber of commerce. With the mining rights decision looming, he gave them until the next day to respond, or he’d find another company. Shen Yulan and Zhu Fengping also showed up at the hospital. Zhao Jiadi pulled Zhu Fengping aside to strategize. His plan? Create a new joint venture to go head-to-head with Wei Jinghai for the bid. Zhu Fengping was worried about the funding, but Shen Yulan was all in on Zhao Jiadi's idea. She even offered to talk to Old Xu herself, declaring they would absolutely not bow down to Wei Jinghai. Faced with their determination, Zhu Fengping had no choice but to go along with it.
