Episode Summary
The interns are split into teams with specific mentors. Jiang Chen and Ren Jiatong team up to join Bai Xiao's group, but Jiang immediately gets on her bad side by complaining about grunt work. Yan Fei clashes with her father over his interference in her career. Meanwhile, Huang Yue leads her group into a failed project and lets Yan Fei take the blame for her bad strategy.
Spoiler Alert
The Battle for Mentors
Office politics are getting thick. Guo Xiaoyu tries to be the office cheerleader. She memorized everyone's birthday. She wants to throw a party for Ren Jiatong. Ren shuts it down immediately. She hasn't celebrated since her father died. It’s a sad moment, but work doesn't stop for feelings.
The real tension is between Ren Jiatong and Jiang Chen. They sit at their desks in silence. It’s a cold war. Both of them want a spot on Bai Xiao’s team. They pitch their initial analysis to her. She hates it. She tells them to redo everything in two days.
Rich Kids and Reality Checks
Jiang Chen heads to a quiet bar to work. He runs into Zhou An. Zhou is stressed out about Yan Fei. Her father, Yan Da, gave specific orders to go easy on her. He didn't assign her any real work. Yan Fei hated that. She demanded equal treatment.
Zhou An doesn't get it. He thinks rich kids should enjoy their easy lives. He feels the same way about Jiang Chen. Jiang gave up a cushy life in the US to come back here. Jiang explains himself. He wants to prove his worth. But he is learning a hard lesson at Jun'an. His Harvard and Yale degrees are just paper. He needs practical skills.
An Unexpected Alliance
Song Yifan sees Ren Jiatong working late. He tells her to take a break. He drops a bomb, too. Ren thought she barely scraped by in the last review. Song reveals that Jiang Chen actually fought for her to stay.
Ren is shocked. She thanks Jiang Chen. He proposes a truce. They should apply to Bai Xiao’s team together. She agrees.
They present to Bai Xiao via video call. She is feeding her daughter cake during the meeting. It catches Ren off guard. Jiang nudges her back to reality. They make their pitch. Bai Xiao accepts them both. She doesn't care about the "one student per mentor" rule. She only cares about talent.
The Teams Are Set
The assignments drop.
- Bai Xiao's Group:Jiang Chen and Ren Jiatong.
- Song Yifan's Group:Guo Xiaoyu.
- Zhuang Xin's Group:Yan Fei, Huang Yue, and Li Ke.
Yan Fei realizes her dad meddled with her assignment. She originally picked a different mentor. She calls him and they fight. She is tired of him controlling her life.
Guo Xiaoyu is thrilled about her placement. She is going to Hangzhou with Song Yifan for a business trip. She plans to meet her boyfriend, Zhu Zhisheng, while she is there.
Rookie Mistakes
Jiang Chen starts work for Bai Xiao. He expects big cases. Instead, he gets grunt work. He has to read files. He gets bored. He decides to overachieve. He writes a full defense draft based on his reading.
He presents it to Bai Xiao. He expects praise. She crushes him. She wanted the file summary. She did not ask for a draft. If he can't do the basics, the extra work means nothing.
Jiang is bitter. He complains to Ren Jiatong in the hallway. He says the work lacks challenge. Bai Xiao walks by and hears everything. She stops. She tells him to transfer to Song Yifan’s team if he doesn't like her style. It is a brutal shutdown.
The Group Project Disaster
Zhou An starts the third round of assessments. It’s a points-based elimination game. Zhuang Xin is away, so Zhou assigns a case to his group. They need to determine if a client list counts as a trade secret.
Huang Yue volunteers to lead. Li Ke suggests a safe, traditional research method. Huang Yue wants to be "innovative." She insists on focusing only on case searches. The group follows her lead reluctantly.
Zhuang Xin reviews their report later. It’s a mess. The direction is completely wrong. He asks whose idea this was. Huang Yue freezes. She is too scared to own up to it. Yan Fei steps in. She lies and says it was a group decision. Li Ke watches this happen. He is disappointed in Huang’s cowardice. He is also annoyed at Yan Fei for playing the hero.
