Episode Summary
SNK News is taken over by a mysterious new majority shareholder, Wu Chi-sing, with Koo Chiu-wah acting as his proxy. Man Wai-sam is effectively stripped of her power but refuses to back down. She publicly denounces Koo's new fund on air. Meanwhile, Ivan, who has infiltrated the shady 3U Park, goes missing. Man Wai-sam and Cheung Ka-yin devise a plan to expose Koo and rescue Ivan by setting an interview trap during a live broadcast.
Spoiler Alert
The Hostile Takeover
The Stock Market Ambush
The episode kicks off with SNK News's stock price going wild. It's suddenly shooting up. Man Wai-sam tries to sell her shares, but the system won't let her. Something is fishy. Szeto Lee-kan checks with the stock exchange. They say there’s no official action. This means the surge is coming from small, individual investors.
After a little digging, they find out most of these small-time buyers are being controlled by a single entity. It's a company called Fuyu Fund. This is not good.
Man Wai-sam Loses Control
Man Wai-sam still wants to take the company private. Most of the other shareholders are against it, though. They're worried about their own money. Then, the chairman of Fuyu Fund, a guy named Wu Chi-sing, asks for a meeting. He acts like a total fanboy. He tells Man Wai-sam he's one of her most loyal viewers.
Just as Man Wai-sam is politely telling him about her plan to privatize, Koo Chiu-wah walks in. He drops the bomb. Wu Chi-sing isn't just a shareholder. He's the biggestshareholder. Koo acted as his proxy and bought up a ton of stock. Wu now owns fifty percent of SNK News. Man Wai-sam's opinion on privatization no longer matters. She's been completely outplayed.
Koo immediately holds a press conference. He announces Wu's new position as the majority owner. He also says Fuyu Fund is preparing to go public. A reporter asks if Man Wai-sam is being fired as chairwoman. Koo says her title won't change. But everyone in the room can see the truth. Man Wai-sam is a queen without a kingdom now. She's been totally sidelined.
Later, Man Wai-sam visits Mrs. Fong at the hospital. Mrs. Fong gives her a much-needed pep talk. She tells her not to give up. These kinds of power struggles are just part of the business world.
The Investigation Begins
Who is Wu Chi-sing?
Siu Tin and Lau Chun-pong use their AI to dig into this new boss, Wu Chi-sing. On paper, he looks squeaky clean. He made his fortune in the rubber plantation business in Southeast Asia. There are no red flags. He just looks like a very rich, very legitimate businessman.
Koo gives Wu a tour of the office. It's painfully obvious that Wu knows nothing about the news industry. Koo doesn't care. He just keeps talking about ad revenue and profits. The two of them hit it off. Man Wai-sam tries to warn Wu. She tells him news isn't a traditional business. An outsider will have a hard time making it work long-term. Koo just scoffs. He says bringing in ad money is all that matters. He might not know news, but he knows investing. He's confident he can't fail.
Ivan Goes Missing
We learn that Ivan (Poon Ji-ngo) has been missing for three days. Keung Lik-hang finally tells Man Wai-sam, thinking she didn't know. But she did. She knew Ivan had secretly gone into a place called 3U Park. He was sending her video updates from inside. But he went completely dark a day ago. She's worried he got caught.
Keung wants to call the police. Man Wai-sam says no. They need to keep it quiet for now. She asks an online platform for help investigating discreetly. Siu Tin and Lau Chun-pong look at a map. They discover 3U Park is located in a lawless zone. It's at the junction of four different countries, so no one has clear jurisdiction. Yu Ying-fei points out that if it's a money-laundering operation, there has to be a paper trail somewhere.
The Counterattack
Man Wai-sam Draws a Line in the Sand
Koo Chiu-wah is already abusing his power. He tells Kelly Tang to promote Fuyu Fund on her show. He promises that after the fund goes public, he'll buy her entire streaming channel. Kelly, seeing a huge payday, immediately agrees. She starts shilling for the fund hard.
Koo even uses the official SNK news broadcast to push Fuyu Fund. During the live show, Man Wai-sam has had enough. She interrupts the segment. In front of all the promotional posters, she makes a statement. She tells the audience she has never endorsed any product. She warns them that Fuyu Fund is using false advertising and they shouldn't be fooled. You'd think Koo would be furious. He's not. He's actually happy. He thinks her "clarification" is just another form of free publicity.
A Message From the Inside
Man Wai-sam meets with Cheung Ka-yin to figure out their next move. They both agree that something is very wrong with Wu Chi-sing's story. Suddenly, the police arrive. They bring news. An actress named Wong Yuet just escaped from 3U Park. She has a message for Man Wai-sam from Ivan. He told her to say that he's safe for now.
Man Wai-sam has a realization. She's been getting strange spam text messages for days. She suspected they were a code. She tries contacting the number. It works. The person on the other end is Ivan.
Hui Sze-ching finds out about Ivan. She wants to call the police right away to make sure he stays safe. But Cheung Ka-yin stops her. She has a better idea. It's a plan that could both rescue Ivan and give Sze-ching a massive, career-defining story. Sze-ching is immediately on board.
Setting the Trap
Cheung Ka-yin invites Koo Chiu-wah for an exclusive interview about Fuyu Fund. The plan is for the tech team to hack his phone when he arrives. But the plan changes at the last minute. Man Wai-sam calls Ka-yin. She says Koo isn't coming. He's with Man Wai-sam. He has decided he will only grant an interview to her. The interview is scheduled for the next day. It will happen at the celebration ceremony for Fuyu Fund's private stock offering.
The next day, the event wraps up. Fuyu Fund has raised almost 100 million. Hui Sze-ching is also there, which makes it look like the whole news department supports Koo. The interview begins. Man Wai-sam gets right to it. She asks Koo where the fund's initial capital came from. She asks what he plans to do with the money. He says he'll keep investing in media.
Then, just as Koo gets a notification on his phone, Man Wai-sam makes her move. She announces they are going live to a special report. It's from their reporter Lau Yim. And she's broadcasting live from inside 3U Park.
