Episode Summary
Michael forces a fake marketing campaign on Fu Yudong, causing tension. Li Daoqi’s wife, Cheng Man, manipulates Li’s assistant into quitting out of jealousy. Li and Michael clash in a board meeting, with Xing Kai siding with Li to keep the peace, though Fu Yudong manages to annoy the boss anyway.
Spoiler Alert
The Marketing Nightmare
Michael is up to his old tricks. He creates a completely fake backstory for Fu Yudong’s product. He even hires an actress to play Fu’s wife. It is ridiculous. Fu Yudong hates it. He thinks the whole thing is a scam. He walks right off the set.
Michael doesn't stop there. He produces product samples without telling Fu or Li Daoqi. Li Daoqi is annoyed. He hates being left out of the loop. But he knows they need to play the game. He convinces Fu to finish the commercial. Fu does it, but he feels dirty. He thinks they are lying to the public.
Li takes Fu out for barbecue to cool him down. He tries to explain that this is just marketing. It makes Fu nostalgic. He remembers the day before he left for Canada. Li threw a big party for him. Li was genuinely happy for his success back then. Things were simpler.
Cheng Man’s Power Move
Li Daoqi and his assistant, Jessie, leave a company party together. The food was cold and terrible. Jessie suggests they go get barbecue. They hit it off. They have a lot to talk about. After eating, Jessie takes Li for a foot massage.
Li gets home late. He tries to sleep on the couch to avoid waking his wife, Cheng Man. But she is awake. She is worried. Li is honest to a fault. He tells her everything about the dinner and the massage. Cheng Man sees photos of them. She gets jealous immediately.
She doesn't make a scene though. She gets smart. The next day, she visits the office with cake for everyone. It is a cover. She adds Jessie on WeChat. She stalks Jessie’s social media. She sees Jessie is desperate for concert tickets to see her idol. Cheng Man buys the tickets. She meets Jessie. She offers her a job at a friend’s company. She effectively bribes Jessie to leave Li alone.
Office Politics
Jessie quits suddenly. Li Daoqi is blindsided. He figures out pretty quickly that Cheng Man is behind it. He doesn't even get mad at her. But now he is stuck. He has no assistant. He tries to hire a new one. HR blocks him at every turn.
The promo video is finally done. It is cringe-worthy. Fu Yudong is embarrassed to watch it. Michael insists it is great. Fu and Li feel powerless. They realize the company doesn't respect them. They vent to each other during a break.
Li decides to fight back. During a management meeting, he publicly trashes Michael’s plan. He wants to remind everyone he still has a voice. Michael fights back. They get into a shouting match. Xing Kai watches this unfold. He realizes Li is at his breaking point. He shuts down Michael’s plan and sides with Li. He gives Li a win to keep the peace.
Fu Yudong misreads the room. He goes to Xing Kai privately. He complains about the fake video again. He says he just wants to do research. He doesn't want to be a show pony. Xing Kai gets annoyed. He doesn't like Fu’s blunt attitude.
