Episode Summary
Wei Jinghai and Huang Ruiyang met to discuss the Jin Hai Group and Li Shi Group situation, with Huang Ruiyang using Chen Zhuhe's departure as leverage and mocking Wei Jinghai's ambitions and past failures with Li Zhijin. Meanwhile, Zhao Jiadi was asked by Zhu Hongzhi to find his potentially missing father, Zhu Fengping. Wei Jinghai's attempt to solidify his position with Li Minxian backfired when Li Minxian tried to send him abroad; a heated confrontation ensued where Wei Jinghai revealed a dark past connection and threatened to ruin the company, culminating in Li Minxian suffering a brain hemorrhage. Zhao Jiadi found Zhu Fengping and then rushed to the hospital with Li Zhijin for the ailing Li Minxian. Wei Jinghai seized the opportunity to take over the chamber of commerce and pressure Fan Long Group. Zhao Jiadi, Shen Yulan, and Zhu Fengping decided to form a new company to compete against Wei Jinghai.
Spoiler Alert
First off, we had Huang Ruiyang reaching out to Wei Jinghai for a little tête-à-tête. Huang Ruiyang was already there when Wei Jinghai rolled up, and the air was thick with tension. They dove right into the messy situation between Jin Hai Group and Li Shi Group. Wei Jinghai, ever the investigator, tried to get info on Chen Zhuhe's whereabouts. Huang Ruiyang played it cool, revealing Chen Zhuhe had already skipped town by boat and then, bold as brass, used Chen Zhuhe as a bargaining chip. Wei Jinghai, not one to be outmaneuvered (or so he thinks), announced he was about to become the big boss of the mining area, clearly trying to get Huang Ruiyang on his side.
But Huang Ruiyang? Totally unimpressed. He basically scoffed at Wei Jinghai's power play, not caring one bit if Wei Jinghai could actually handle being in charge. He even twisted the knife, mocking Wei Jinghai for fumbling his chance with Li Zhijin, who, as we know, ended up with someone else. As they parted ways, Huang Ruiyang delivered a chilling little reminder to Wei Jinghai to get his priorities straight. Wei Jinghai, bless his heart, just seethed in silence. You could practically see the steam coming out of his ears.
Meanwhile, our main man Zhao Jiadi had just finished a call with Li Zhijin when Zhu Hongzhi burst in, looking for help. Turns out, his father, Zhu Fengping, might be missing. Zhao Jiadi, always the thinker, pointed out that if Wei Jinghai and his crew could wiggle out of that previous mess so easily, they were clearly pros. He figured they couldn't just jump to conclusions and build a case on guesswork, so he told Zhu Hongzhi to head home while he looked into it.
Then, in a move that surprised no one who's been paying attention to his slippery ways, Wei Jinghai went to see Li Minxian. Plot twist! Li Minxian wasn't there to congratulate him; he was shipping Wei Jinghai off to "Calipurnia" (yes, you read that right) to manage a branch office, with strict orders not to return unless summoned. Wei Jinghai was floored. He argued that despite a few missteps, he’d poured his heart and soul into Li Shi Group for years. He felt like Li Minxian was throwing him under the bus to save his own skin – a classic case of "sacrificing the knight to save the king."
Li Minxian laid it out: he felt he'd been more than patient with Wei Jinghai, but crossing certain lines meant there had to be consequences, especially to appease the Fan family. Wei Jinghai, desperate, tried to play the sympathy card. He even suggested that if he could just marry Li Zhijin, they could team up, crush Zhao Xin, and reclaim Jin Hai Group. He promised to take care of Li Minxian in his old age, even dropping to his knees and calling him "father." It was a whole performance.
But Li Minxian wasn't buying it. He knew Wei Jinghai had gone too far and that sending him abroad was the best he could offer to protect him. Seeing his pleas weren't working, Wei Jinghai switched tactics fast, threatening to gut the company by taking core technology, key personnel, and client lists, leaving Li Minxian with an empty shell. Li Minxian, though clearly shaken by the depth of Wei Jinghai's ambition, stood his ground, insisting Li Shi Group would survive even without him because his conscience was clear.
That "clear conscience" comment clearly struck a nerve. Wei Jinghai just sneered and dropped a bombshell: he accused Li Minxian of stealing Wei Mingyi's ideas and technology back in the day, demoting him from partner to subordinate, which ultimately led to Wei Mingyi being hounded by creditors until he jumped off a building. This, Wei Jinghai revealed, was why he lost his closest relative so young. Li Minxian looked guilty but denied the accusation, insisting his sixteen-year friendship with Wei Mingyi was genuine. With tears in his eyes, Li Minxian then cut ties with Wei Jinghai. As he turned to leave, he suddenly collapsed from a brain hemorrhage. Wei Jinghai watched him go, a chilling glint in his eyes, muttering that the real show was just beginning. Oof, talk about a dramatic exit!
While all that was unfolding, Zhao Jiadi had actually found Zhu Fengping. He suspected Jiao Ye was behind a potential kidnapping and was waiting for the police to dig deeper when he got the news about Li Minxian's critical condition. Zhao Jiadi rushed to the hospital with Li Zhijin, where Li Minxian was still unconscious from the brain hemorrhage, not yet out of the woods.
Never one to miss an opportunity, Wei Jinghai sent a message via Shen Yulan, announcing he was temporarily taking over the chamber of commerce affairs. He then dangled the mining rights as bait, giving Fan Long Group a deadline to get on board or he'd find other partners. Shen Yulan and Zhu Fengping then hurried to the hospital. There, Zhao Jiadi and Zhu Fengping put their heads together. Zhao Jiadi proposed forming a new joint venture to go head-to-head with Wei Jinghai in a new bidding war. Zhu Fengping was worried about the cash flow, but Shen Yulan was all in, backing Zhao Jiadi and vowing to personally negotiate with Old Xu. She was adamant: no deals with Wei Jinghai. After weighing the pros and cons, Zhu Fengping reluctantly agreed.
