Episode Summary
Shen Haoming starts a new job at a construction site, facing off against uncooperative workers. Xu Yan begins a new career as a livestream host but is sabotaged by Fang Lei. In a surprising twist, her mother-in-law, Yu Lan, defends her against gossiping friends and then buys out her entire inventory. The episode ends with Xu Yan explaining to Haoming why their different backgrounds make their relationship impossible.
Spoiler Alert
A Tale of Two Jobs
Haoming Gets His Hands Dirty
Shen Haoming is trying to start from the bottom. He's at a construction site, for real. He sees workers leaving steel bars out in the sun to rust. He asks them about it. Nobody cares. They're busy and don't give him any special treatment.
Later, he's officially introduced as the guy from corporate. The workers are not impressed. They're actually pretty hostile. Haoming points out the project is delayed. It's delayed because the steel is oxidizing. The workers get defensive and angry. They feel like they're being blamed for something they didn't do.
Haoming doesn't back down. He tells them they'll sign contracts. They'll follow the rules. Then they'll get paid. The main troublemakers just walk off. Haoming also knows the site manager is trying to cover his own butt. The manager keeps reporting that the materials are bad. He's shifting blame for the storage issue. Haoming gives him three days to fix it.
Xu Yan Finds Her Voice
Xu Yan is also starting over. She’s working as an assistant for a livestream shopping channel. And you know what? She’s good at it. She gets the hang of it right away. After getting some experience, she goes straight to the boss. She tells him she wants to be the main host.
The Livestream War
A Family Feud Over Chicken Feet
Haoming stumbles upon Xu Yan's livestream. He watches her work. Then he sees a familiar name in the chat. It's his son, Shen Haochen. The kid is buying a ridiculous amount of chicken feet.
Haoming gets a little competitive. He jumps into the chat himself. He starts a bidding war against his own son. He ends up ordering hundreds of items. A coworker has to pull him away from his phone. He was totally sucked in. Meanwhile, Xu Yan's boss, CEO Qiu, sees all this activity. He just assumes Xu Yan has some rich benefactors funding her.
The "Patron" Reveal
CEO Qiu tells Xu Yan she needs to meet one of her "patrons" for coffee. He says the big spenders are the real bosses. Xu Yan is furious about the idea. But she needs the job, so she agrees to go.
She gets to the meeting spot. The big-spending patron is Shen Haochen. It was the kid all along. He tells her he really misses his sister-in-law. He admits the nanny helped him place the orders. But he says he didn't waste the food. He donated all the chicken feet to a local orphanage. He begs her to come home. He says his mom, Yu Lan, is so sad she's barely eating.
Xu Yan realizes Haochen has no idea they're getting a divorce. His plea softens her. She tells him he can call her anytime he misses her.
Sabotage and a Surprise Save
Fang Lei Strikes Again
Just when things are looking up, Fang Lei shows up. She gets into Xu Yan's livestream chat. She starts spreading rumors and turning the viewers against Xu Yan. The audience starts attacking the host. It works. Xu Yan's boss chews her out. She loses her new job just like that.
Yu Lan to the Rescue
Yu Lan is having tea with her wealthy friends. They start gossiping about her daughter-in-law, and she's clearly uncomfortable. Then Fang Lei shows up. She intentionally brings Yu Lan and her friends to Xu Yan's workplace. She wants to humiliate Xu Yan in front of everyone.
One of Yu Lan's friends makes a snide comment. She says Xu Yan working such a low-class job is an embarrassment to the family. Yu Lan snaps. She doesn't hesitate. She completely shuts the friend down right then and there.
Xu Yan sees her mother-in-law leave. It's obvious she's a little hurt by the whole thing. But then something amazing happens. Yu Lan gets in her car and tells her assistant to buy hundreds of bags of rice and oil from the stream. Her friends, taking the hint, also place huge orders. In one day, Xu Yan sells out the company's entire inventory.
The Final Conversation
Shen Haoming finds Xu Yan later. He tries again to give her money. She turns him down flat.
She finally tells him exactly why they don't work. He grew up with privilege. He had access to the best resources and knows how to use them. She grew up poor. She had to learn how to fight for every single opportunity just to survive. Their core beliefs are just too different. She says they can't force a relationship that isn't meant to be.
She walks away, leaving Haoming standing there. He still doesn't seem to understand why they are drifting so far apart.
