Episode Summary
Yan Fei quits the competition to save her family's company after her brother gets arrested for corporate espionage. Zhou Nian supports her emotionally and professionally. The team investigates a suspicious assistant and a rival company. Just as they find a legal angle, the assistant goes public with accusations of harassment against Bai Xiao.
Spoiler Alert
Office Politics and Elevator Awkwardness
Things start off with some quiet tension. Guo Xiaoyu worries that Ren Jiatong’s personal life is messing with her head. Ren brushes it off with a smile and says she is fine. But the real drama happens in the lobby. Guo spots Gao Lang dropping Bai Xiao off at the firm. They share a polite hug before parting ways.
Song Yifan sees this too. He ends up in the elevator with Bai Xiao and makes some salty comments. You can practically smell the jealousy. Guo Xiaoyu is standing right behind them and tries her best not to laugh out loud.
The Scores Are In
The presentations wrap up. Guo Xiaoyu crushes it and gets thirty extra points. The rest of the team gets twenty. Yan Fei lands in last place.
Later, the team grabs some late-night food. Guo Xiaoyu can't help herself and starts spilling tea about the bosses. She talks about how Bai Xiao and Song Yifan missed their chance years ago. Bai thought Song was leaving the firm, so she quit first. Song thought she wouldn't follow him, so he stayed. They basically ghosted each other by accident.
Song Yifan walks in with milk tea right at that moment. He hears the whole story. Guo wants the ground to swallow her up. Luckily, Song doesn't make a scene.
Making Up and Breaking Down
Ren Jiatong and Jiang Chen finally talk. They admit they were both acting childish yesterday. They apologize and the air clears. But the good vibes don't last.
Ren calls Jiang Chen the next day with bad news. Yan Fei’s brother, Yan Da, is in serious trouble overseas. Police suspect him of stealing trade secrets. He is out on bail but can't leave. To make it worse, a competitor is suing their family company, Xingke Group, for patent infringement.
Yan Fei’s dad has a stroke from the stress. Her mom has to stay at the hospital. Yan Fei realizes she can't do it all. She makes a tough call and officially quits the "Shijun Plan" to save her family's business. The law firm takes the case. Song handles the patent dispute. Bai takes the litigation.
A Shoulder to Cry On
The team rallies around Yan Fei. They also figure out the deal with Yan Da’s "girlfriend," Zhang Xiaomi. She is a blogger who actually likes Yan Da. She just wanted money to force him to pay attention to her.
Yan Fei is barely holding it together. Zhou Nian steps up big time. He sees her struggling and offers comfort. Yan Fei realizes her brother shielded her from this pressure for years. She breaks down and cries on Zhou Nian’s shoulder.
When she tries to leave, Zhou Nian chases her downstairs. He is not just offering empty words. He has already contacted top IP lawyers and experts. He gives her a game plan: stabilize the company, meet the investors, and calm the suppliers. Yan Fei is touched. She hugs him, and he promises he is just a phone call away.
The Investigation Heats Up
Everyone gets to work. The police found a notebook in Yan Da’s office with the competitor's data. Ren checks the security footage. Besides Yan Da, only his assistant He Fan and his ex, Zhang Xiaomi, went into that office often.
Ren stalks Zhang Xiaomi’s social media. The girl is on vacation but posting sad updates. She is coming back Monday. Meanwhile, Song Yifan lays out the legal strategy. They need to prove the patent is invalid. The team needs to find evidence that the technology was public before the patent was filed.
Betrayal and a New Crisis
Yan Fei meets with Zhang Xiaomi. She drops a bomb. The competitor’s regional boss, Eddie, is a family friend. He actually introduced the assistant, He Fan, to the company. That is super suspicious.
Back at the office, Ren gets a text. Her mom was in a car accident. Bai Xiao tells her to drop everything and go. Ren rushes home. The surgery goes well, but her mom feels guilty for causing trouble. Ren visits her, then heads straight back to Beijing.
She sits down with Guo Xiaoyu. They talk about the pressure of this job and how their families don't get it. It is a nice bonding moment. But then, chaos hits. The assistant, He Fan, posts a long rant online. She accuses Bai Xiao of bullying her during questioning until she fainted.
