Episode Summary
In Episode 4, Liu Jun doubles down on his independent R&D, successfully testing new German equipment despite his father's concerns and rejecting a recruitment offer from his rival, Lin Yue. A crisis arises when a technician's negligence ruins a batch of expensive steel, forcing Liu Jun to rent testing time at his rival's company. There, he unexpectedly impresses their veteran Chief Engineer Wang, creating a potential new alliance and a path to overcoming his technical hurdles.
Spoiler Alert
Created in China, Episode 4 Recap: A Son's Vision, a Father's Gamble
Caught between his father's traditional expectations and a rival's corporate maneuvering, Liu Jun is pushing forward with his ambitious plan to revolutionize his family's factory. This episode sees him double down on his high-risk, high-reward strategy, leading to a major breakthrough, a costly crisis, and an unexpected new alliance.
An Awkward Dinner and a Rejected Offer
The episode opens with a classic case of parental meddling. When Lin Chuan stops by the Liu household to thank Liu Jun for his help, his father, Liu Shitang, immediately misreads the situation, eagerly pushing the two towards marriage. Liu Jun, mortified, manages to steer the conversation away, only for Lin Chuan to invite him to a dinner—a gesture of gratitude that quickly reveals its true purpose.
At the meal, hosted by Lin Chuan's associate Lin Yue, the pleasantries are short-lived. Lin Yue, an executive at the state-owned Municipal No. 1 Machine Works, makes a direct attempt to recruit Liu Jun, offering him a position and resources. Liu Jun flatly refuses, stating his intention to stay in China for only a year to develop his own "killer product." The rejection hangs in the air, and when Lin Yue dismisses Liu Jun's ambitions as naive idealism, the dinner ends on a sour note, leaving Lin Chuan caught in the middle.
The High-Stakes Bet on Technology
Shaking off the recruitment attempt, Liu Jun reveals the scale of his ambition to his friend Qian Hongming. He unveils his new laboratory, filled with expensive, state-of-the-art equipment imported from Germany. Despite Qian Hongming's warnings about the financial risk of "burning through money," Liu Jun is resolute. "I don't want to be a follower; I want to be a leader," he declares.
His father, Liu Shitang, is less convinced. While he begrudgingly funds the project, the tension between father and son is palpable. At a dinner with an old friend, Liu Jun's blunt honesty clashes with his father's sense of social grace. When the friend proudly shows off a locally copied machine tool, Liu Jun immediately points out its technical flaws, causing immense embarrassment and earning a sharp rebuke from his father for his lack of tact.
A Breakthrough Moment of Vindication
Back at his own Qianjin Factory, Liu Jun throws himself into assembling the new German machinery, working day and night. The veteran workers watch with a mix of awe and anxiety, fearing their decades of manual skill are about to be rendered obsolete by a machine that allows a novice to produce perfect parts in just two days.
After an exhausting marathon of work, the assembly is complete. With his father watching nervously, Liu Jun powers up the machine for its first test. Following a tense two-hour wait, the indicator light flashes green. The test is a success. An overjoyed Liu Jun leaps into the air, while his father, Liu Shitang, wipes away tears, his voice thick with emotion as he says, "The money was well spent!"
Crisis and a Glimmer of Hope
The victory is short-lived. After the Chinese New Year—marked by a brief, warm holiday call from Lin Chuan—the factory hits a major snag. A technician, engrossed in a computer game, misses a critical deadline for retrieving materials from a heat treatment process, causing an entire batch of expensive steel to be ruined.
Liu Jun responds with swift, decisive action. He orders all games deleted from the factory's computers and institutes a strict new protocol. To ensure no more mistakes, he moves into the factory himself, personally overseeing the next experimental run. However, he soon hits a technical wall that his new equipment can't overcome alone. Forced to seek outside help, he contacts Lin Chuan to arrange to rent time in the advanced testing workshop at the Municipal No. 1 Machine Works.
There, he has a chance encounter with the facility's veteran Chief Engineer Wang. While Lin Chuan may have hoped to "steal" some of Liu Jun's techniques, Engineer Wang is instead impressed by the young man's ingenuity. He laments the technical stagnation at his own state-run factory and praises Liu Jun's sample parts. "Young people these days are bold and brilliant, much better than us," he remarks, offering a surprising and powerful validation. The episode closes with Liu Jun, bathed in the light of the setting sun, beginning his tests in the borrowed workshop, on the cusp of another potential breakthrough.
Key Developments & What's at Stake
- A Clash of Ideals: Liu Jun has firmly drawn a line in the sand, rejecting the safe corporate path offered by Lin Yue to pursue his own vision of innovation, no matter the cost.
- Generational Divides: The new German machine is a success, but it highlights the growing gap between Liu Jun's modern approach and the traditional skills and values of his father's generation.
- From Crisis to Opportunity: A costly management failure forces Liu Jun to seek external help, leading him to an unexpected and potentially crucial ally in Chief Engineer Wang, who recognizes the value of his work.
- The Path Forward: The central questions remain. Can the data from the state-of-the-art testing facility solve Liu Jun's technical problems? And as Liu Jun gains the respect of seasoned engineers, will it provoke the jealousy of his rival, Lin Yue?
