Episode Summary
Zhi Jun accuses her mother of an affair with Fang Yangtian, causing a family fight that Grandma Fang has to break up. Lin Cheng's father furiously opposes her marriage to the much older Yangtian, blaming the Fang family for his financial ruin. Lin Cheng explains how she fell for Yangtian after he secretly helped her, eventually winning her father's reluctant approval. To counter Grandma Fang's demand for a prenup, Yangtian hires an outsider, Gao Shen, to manage the family's assets. Gao Shen immediately begins to assert control and uncovers potential corruption within the family's charitable foundation.
Spoiler Alert
The Family Explodes
Accusations and Apologies
The episode kicks off with some serious drama. Zhi Jun is completely convinced her mother and her uncle, Fang Yangtian, are having an affair. She believes her mom only stuck around the Fang family to get back with him. This leads to a massive fight between mother and daughter. The tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife. Grandma Fang has to step in and play peacemaker, eventually calming them both down.
Later, Fang Yangtian talks to Zhi Jun's mother. He's worried. He says that ever since he got together with Lin Cheng, all this gossip and trouble started. He suspects someone inside the family is deliberately trying to sabotage his wedding. But he makes one thing clear. He's not giving up on Lin Cheng.
Then we have Jiang Huanqiu, who pulls Lin Cheng aside. She actually apologizes for all the rumors. She tells Lin Cheng about her own past, how she married into the Fang family based on her family's wishes. She was happy for a while, but then her husband and mother-in-law died in a car crash. Her life changed completely. She encourages Lin Cheng to stay strong, warning her that being with Fang Yangtian will be a tough road.
A Father's Fury
Jiaxin, ever the opportunist, sees that Fang Yangtian is serious about Lin Cheng. She decides her best move is to get on Lin Cheng's good side. She gifts her a bunch of expensive bags. Then, she pushes her husband, Fang Xueqin, to go apologize to Lin Cheng's father. Fang Xueqin takes her advice and shows up with a ridiculously expensive watch.
This does not go well. At all.
Lin Cheng's dad is confused at first. Then he learns his daughter is marrying Fang Yangtian, a man his own age. He becomes absolutely furious. He hasn't forgotten how the Fang family ruined his life. They convinced his son to play the stock market, which led to him losing their shop. The Fangs then bought the shop for a low price. He blames them for his family's current struggles.
Lin Cheng's Side of the Story
How Love Bloomed from Hate
That night, Lin Cheng has a tearful conversation with her father. She explains that she used to hate the Fangs, too. She once went to get revenge on Fang Xueqin with a can of paint but accidentally attacked Fang Yangtian instead.
The turning point came later. Her brother secretly sold their mother's heirloom, a dragon and phoenix bracelet. She searched everywhere for it. She finally tracked it to a pawn shop. There, she saw Fang Yangtian trying to buy it. He was offering the owner a high price but telling him to sell it back to her for cheap. She caught him in the act of helping her. After that, he saw her potential and supported her dream of becoming a designer. They spent more time together, discovered they had a lot in common, and she fell in love with him.
Even with this story, her father is still angry. He marches over to the Fang house. He confronts Fang Yangtian directly. He asks him if he can guarantee Lin Cheng's happiness after he's gone. Fang Yangtian gives a firm, convincing promise. This finally wins the old man's approval.
A New Player Enters the Game
The Prenup and the Power Move
Just when you think one fire is out, Grandma Fang starts another. She sits everyone down with a serious look on her face. She says Lin Cheng can only marry into the family if she signs a prenuptial agreement. The agreement would force her to give up any claim to the Fang family's assets. Fang Yangtian thinks this is completely unfair, but he can't get his mother to budge.
So, he makes a huge move. He decides to bring in an outside firm, the Gao Shen Company, to manage the family's assets. His kids are stunned. He hopes this will fix the internal fighting and force his children to get their acts together.
Gao Shen Starts Cleaning House
The family's reaction is about what you'd expect. Fang Xueli immediately starts bad-mouthing Gao Shen, calling him nothing more than a glorified servant. Gao Shen isn't bothered. He calmly states that he has what it takes to control the Fang family's business.
He gets to work right away. He tells Kuang Shanquan to focus on her charity work at the foundation. Meanwhile, Gao Jing tries to plan the wedding. She asks Fang Xuexian about his father's hobbies to get some ideas. But Fang Xuexian is totally against the marriage and gives her the cold shoulder.
The episode ends with Gao Shen and his team at the foundation. They find Kuang Shanquan having a meal with her family during work hours and ignoring them. When she finally comes back, Gao Shen tells her she can't use the foundation's money for her personal spending anymore. She is furious. As they leave, Gao Shen spots the "Children's Home" giving a gift to the foundation. He immediately suspects a kickback scheme is going on and tells his employee to start digging.
