Episode Summary
Lu Li uncovers that Tang Bei and Wang Yayin are behind the hostile takeover of the gallery, using a forged contract. He reveals this to Qin Yuebai, also confessing that his true vendetta is against Su Shilun, whom he holds responsible for his parents' deaths. Armed with evidence from Lu Li and with the surprise return of Su Baoyan, Qin Yuebai exposes her stepmother's embezzlement at a critical board meeting, turning the tables on her. All the while, Su Shilun watches the events unfold from the shadows with a mysterious smile.
Spoiler Alert
Double Fugue: Episode 17 Spoilers
Lu Li has a friend look into Sun Yiming's recent communications and uncovers some startling information. Surveillance footage shows Tang Bei meeting with him. More importantly, the documents for Sun Yiming's acquisition of the gallery include a mortgage contract supposedly signed by Su Baoyan (Bao Yan). However, since Bao Yan has been abroad for the past two months, it's clear the documents Tang Bei gave to Sun Yiming were forged. Lu Li may not know who is pulling Tang Bei's strings, but he is certain that the real opponent Qin Yuebai is facing is far more ruthless than Su Shilun.
The next morning, Qin Yuebai wakes up from a hangover, having fallen asleep on her coffee table. Forcing herself to get ready for a board meeting, she arrives at the company only to find her stepmother, Wang Yayin, sitting in the chairman's seat.
During the meeting, board members bribed by Wang Yayin deliberately give Qin Yuebai a hard time. Instead of helping, her stepmother demands that she apologize to the board. Finding the situation ridiculous, especially since she had no idea how the gallery was acquired, Qin Yuebai refuses to back down and storms out of the meeting.
Sensing Qin Yuebai is in danger, Lu Li frantically searches for her. After checking several locations, he finally finds her car in the basement parking garage. When she refuses to listen to him, he risks his life by standing in front of her car, using his own body to block her path.
Forced to stop, Qin Yuebai gets out and demands to know what he's doing. Lu Li explains that while he did approach Sun Yiming initially, Sun didn't trust him. Ultimately, it was Tang Bei and Wang Yayin who teamed up to convince Sun Yiming to cooperate with them. Lu Li also comes clean about his true motives for relentlessly targeting Su Shilun: he has evidence that Su Shilun was responsible for the car accident that killed his parents years ago.
With this revelation, Qin Yuebai finally understands Lu Li's actions. The immediate crisis, however, is the gallery. Wang Yayin has taken advantage of the situation to seize control as the acting general manager. Lu Li hands Qin Yuebai the evidence he has gathered against her, which could be used to challenge Wang Yayin at the leadership election meeting the next day.
Meanwhile, Wang Yayin feels triumphant. She believes Qin Yuebai is now isolated, with Lu Li estranged, Su Shilun abroad, and their plan to drive a wedge between them successful. Seeing this as the perfect opportunity, she explicitly orders Tang Bei to eliminate Qin Yuebai.
At the board meeting the following day, Qin Yuebai enters and presents a USB drive to the board members. It contains proof that Wang Yayin has been embezzling company funds, showing a steady flow of assets into private accounts. As the board reels from the clear transaction records, Qin Yuebai also reveals Wang Yayin's role in framing Su Baoyan. At that moment, Su Baoyan herself walks in, having just returned from abroad. She scoffs at the scene, questioning how an outsider like Wang Yayin ended up in the top position of the Su family's gallery.
As Wang Yayin's face darkens, Su Shilun is shown in a hidden corner, secretly watching the entire meeting with a strange, knowing smile. It's revealed that Lu Li had told Su Baoyan the truth about Wang Yayin and Tang Bei's partnership, which prompted her to rush back to help Qin Yuebai. Upon hearing of Bao Yan's return, Tang Bei goes to her apartment building, waiting downstairs to see her.
