Episode Summary
Cheung Ka-yin tries to recruit staff for her new company, a move aimed at convincing Lau Yim to join her. Her plans collapse after Man Wai-sam exposes Yuen Suet-kuen as a fraud, causing their investor Novis to pull out. As Jiayan and Hui Sze-ching struggle, Kelly Tang starts a rumor that Hong Kong's richest woman, Pak Shu-wan, has cancer. The episode ends with SNK's leadership undecided on whether to report the explosive story, prompting Poon Ji-ngo to offer his job to whoever can make the call.
Spoiler Alert
Cheung Ka-yin Makes Her Move
A Public Declaration
Cheung Ka-yin is officially on a mission. She walks right into SNK News to recruit people for her new venture. Unsurprisingly, SNK security shows her the door almost immediately. She then does the same thing at Open Platform, her old stomping ground.
Man Wai-sam watches this whole display. She puts on a very neutral face and says she respects everyone’s career choices. Fei is just there for the show, enjoying the chaos. Jiayan looks him right in the eye. She tells him she's finally doing what he always wanted her to do. She's creating a "third force" in Hong Kong news. She thinks it could change the entire media landscape.
One of her old colleagues, Sai Man-chi, immediately shuts her down. She says she's not leaving Open Platform. After Jiayan leaves, Wai-sam and Fei share a look. They both know exactly what just happened. That whole performance was for one person. It was all for Lau Yim.
Lau Yim Has a Choice to Make
The plan works. That night, Lau Yim finds Jiayan for a talk. She's feeling lost. She remembers starting at SNK. Everyone treated her like she was an idiot. So she left to help create Open Platform. She thought it would be different. But now Wai-sam is in charge. It’s not the idealistic place she dreamed of anymore.
Jiayan sees her opening. She asks Lau Yim to join her. They can build a real, ideal news organization from scratch. You can see the idea taking root. Lau Yim is seriously considering it.
The Walls Close In
Hui Sze-ching Gets Sidelined
Hui Sze-ching is having a terrible day. She reports to her boss that she secured tax benefits for the company Novis. Then her boss tells her to drop the Novis account completely. She's confused and asks why. He just shows her a video. It's a live stream from Kelly Tang .
The video is a hit piece. It slanders both Shiqing and Jiayan. Shiqing knows she's been beaten for now. She agrees to hand over her work. But she makes it clear this isn't over. She will get her reputation back.
Wai-sam Faces Her Past
Yuen Suet-kuen arranges a meeting with Wai-sam. She picks a very specific location. It's the exact spot where George Leung had his fatal accident. Wai-sam asks about the dirt on Tung Chi-ching. Suet-kwan holds up a USB drive and says it's all on there.
Then she does something cold. She throws the USB straight into a large puddle. Without a second of hesitation, Wai-sam jumps into the filthy water to get it. Seeing this, Suet-kwan seems satisfied. She realizes Wai-sam has finally overcome the guilt from King-yan's death. She leaves the USB for Wai-sam and walks away.
The Aftermath
The Truth Bomb Drops
Open Platform doesn't waste any time. They broadcast the contents of the USB drive. The report exposes everything. We learn Suet-kwan's big "Torch Award" was a fraud. Even worse, Novis publicly denies that Suet-kwan was ever their official agent in Hong Kong.
The news is a professional kill shot. Cheung Ka-yin sees the broadcast. Her entire plan was built on Suet-kwan's reputation and her connection to Novis. She is completely devastated.
Jiayan and Shiqing Are Left Adrift
The fallout is immediate. Novis pulls all of its investment out of Hong Kong. Mrs. Fong gives an interview that basically confirms SNK's massive influence over the city.
Lau Yim confronts Wai-sam about the story. She accuses her of being too calculating. She says Wai-sam got revenge on Suet-kwan and punished Jiayan in one move. Wai-sam just says she reported the facts. She argues the next step is to find out why Novis really pulled out.
Jiayan is now in an impossible position. She has a group of former colleagues who quit their jobs for her. She can't reach Suet-kwan. She goes to Shiqing for help. Shiqing suggests they just become independent online personalities. But Jiayan is worried about a bigger problem. She needs to find investors. The two of them have become a running joke in the news industry.
A New Target Emerges
The Richest Woman in Hong Kong
Kelly Tang has found her next victim. She gets a tip from a nurse that Pak Shu-wan, the richest woman in Hong Kong, has cancer. Tsz-yiu immediately goes live. She starts fantasizing about Wai-sam losing all her power.
Back at SNK, Fei announces that Lau Yim has been nominated for Best Anchor of the Year. But the real focus is the Pak Shu-wan rumor. The woman herself has not commented. Wai-sam suspects the cancer story is fake. She tells her team to investigate who stands to gain the most from smearing her.
SNK's Power Play
Jiayan is desperate for money. She pitches her news dream to potential sponsors. They all ask the same question. What's the return on investment? Nobody cares about her ideals. She finally swallows her pride and goes to Wai-sam. She asks for help contacting Suet-kwan. Wai-sam says she can't reach her either and tells Jiayan to just cut her losses. She even offers Jiayan a job at Open Platform. Jiayan refuses. She says she won't work in news until her old colleagues have jobs.
Meanwhile, Kelly Tang escalates her attack. She fakes a photo of Pak Shu-wan in a hospital bed and posts it online. The photo goes viral. It immediately hits Open Platform's bottom line as advertisers pull out. That night, Wai-sam prepares to visit Pak Shu-wan at home, but she's ambushed by a crowd of SNK reporters.
The episode ends at the SNK newsroom. They have this huge, unconfirmed story about Pak Shu-wan. Nobody knows if they should run it. Poon Ji-ngo, the deputy director, can't make a decision. So he throws down a challenge. He announces that if anyone can step up and handle the pressure, he will give them his job.
