Episode Summary
Li Ke surprises everyone by winning a case strategy competition with a clever contract loophole, teaching Ren Jiatong not to underestimate quiet rivals. Meanwhile, the interns uncover fraud at a client's company. The episode ends in crisis when a vital legal document goes missing, leaving Ren Jiatong and Li Ke suspended and under suspicion.
Spoiler Alert
All Rise Episode 18 Recap: The Dark Horse and the Missing Paper
We kick things off with a total nightmare scenario. Guo Xiaoyu tries to send a heartfelt voice note to Zhu Zhisheng about her career choices. Instead, she blasts three audio clips into the main work group chat. You can’t un-send that kind of embarrassment. Everyone has a good laugh, though. It actually breaks the ice and clears out some of the bad vibes from before.
The Underdog Takes the Win
The real meat of this episode happens in the conference room. It’s presentation time. Ren Jiatong and Yan Fei give their pitches, and they are fine. Standard stuff. But then Li Ke steps up.
He completely blindsides everyone. He finds a "drag-along right" clause in the contract. Basically, this lets a shareholder force other shareholders to sell their stock to a third party if the conditions are right. Li Ke suggests the client use this to force a sale to Xinjianye Company. If the other guys refuse? Then you hit them with arbitration.
Bai Xiao loves it. It’s smarter and faster than just suing for a buyback. Li Ke points out this gets the client their money back quicker without waiting for a court ruling. He wins the round, gets the bonus points, and scores a business trip with Bai Xiao.
Lessons in Humility
Li Ke is over the moon. He’s handing out walnuts his sister peeled for him and buying everyone bubble tea. It’s sweet, but it stings for Ren Jiatong.
She’s taking the loss hard. She returns a pen Bai Xiao dropped, and he gives her some tough love. He tells her she was so focused on beating Yan Fei that she ignored Li Ke entirely. She underestimated the quiet guy. It’s a solid wake-up call.
Playing Detective
Lawyer Hu takes Jiang Chen and Guo Xiaoyu to visit Zhongyuan Company. The boss there talks a big game, but the team starts digging.
Guo Xiaoyu finds a supplementary agreement that contradicts the main contract. It looks like a "yin-yang contract" situation—basically a fake contract to hide the real deal. The company tried to hide it, but they slipped up.
Then Jiang Chen spots a photo on the wall. It shows Tianyu Company winning a "taxpayer award." That destroys the boss's claim that Tianyu is just a shell company with no business. You don't pay massive taxes if you aren't making money. Lawyer Hu is impressed. These two are getting sharp.
Late Night Confessions
Yan Fei heads to the boxing gym to blow off steam. Zhou Nian shows up to be her sparring partner. They take a tumble in the ring, and things get a little charged. Yan Fei realizes he actually came just to cheer her up.
Back at the office, Ren Jiatong and Li Ke are grinding through paperwork. Li Ke makes her cold medicine and talks about how close he is with his sister. But then Ren gets a call from her stepdad, "Uncle Lin." It ruins her night.
Jiang Chen finds her later, and they share a drink. Ren Jiatong finally opens up. She feels stuck paying off her dad’s old debts while everyone else moves forward with their lives. Jiang Chen walks her home later. She’s so out of it she almost walks into traffic, but he pulls her back just in time.
The Cliffhanger
The next morning is a disaster. The original copy of a crucial demand letter is gone.
It vanished in a blind spot where the cameras can’t see. Since nobody knows who lost it, both Ren Jiatong and Li Ke get suspended from the case until they figure it out.
Ren Jiatong is spiraling. She remembers Li Ke left first, so she was the last one there. She starts wondering if she accidentally shredded it in a daze. Yan Fei tells her to stop beating herself up.
Li Ke, on the other hand, is panicking. He grabs Zhou Nian and swears he didn’t lose it. He’s terrified of losing his bonus points and disappointing his sister. Zhou Nian shuts him down. He tells Li Ke that feelings don't matter—only proof does.
