Episode Summary
Jiang Chen proves his worth over AI but creates a massive PR crisis by fighting a tenant to protect Ren Jiatong. The incident leads to Zhou Nian getting dumped by his fiancée. The law firm faces cyberbullying, and Jiang Chen refuses to apologize, risking his career despite Bai Xiao's disciplinary warnings.
Spoiler Alert
Man vs. Machine vs. Mobs
The pressure is on at the law firm. Tian Min sits Jiang Chen down for a harsh reality check. She points out that AI is already doing the heavy lifting for document review. It is faster and cheaper than a human. She asks him a simple question. If he can only do what a computer does, why should the firm keep him? This lights a fire under Jiang Chen. He realizes he needs to offer something a machine cannot. He reworks his case notes to highlight human intuition and strategy. It works. Bai Xiao sees the value in his new approach. She moves him onto the Nuanchao case preparation.
Walking Into the Fire
Ren Jiatong isn't content sitting behind a desk. She asks Zhou An for permission to do field work. She wants to talk to the tenants directly. Zhou An approves it. But things are getting volatile outside the office.
Jiang Chen gets a call from his aunt. The tenants are organizing a massive protest at the Nuanchao headquarters. He tells her to stay away. Then he gets bad news from Li Ke. Ren Jiatong went to the headquarters alone. This is a disaster waiting to happen. The tenants already know her face from previous disputes. Jiang Chen knows she is walking into a hostile environment.
He is right. Ren Jiatong walks into the Nuanchao lobby and gets swarmed. The angry tenants recognize her. They think she is a corporate shill sent to cheat them. They scream insults at her. One woman tries to help, but the crowd is too angry. Ren Jiatong freezes. The scene triggers a traumatic memory of debt collectors harassing her family years ago.
The Brawl and the Breakup
Jiang Chen arrives just as things get violent. A tenant named Liang Xiaosong throws an object at Ren Jiatong. It hits her forehead and leaves a mark. Jiang Chen reacts on instinct. He shoves Liang Xiaosong to the ground to stop the attack. Liang Xiaosong immediately plays the victim. He accuses Jiang Chen of assault and calls the police.
Everyone ends up at the police station. Liang Xiaosong’s sister rushes in. She is furious. She calls her boyfriend for backup. Her boyfriend turns out to be Zhou Nian. Yan Fei drives Zhou Nian to the station.
Zhou Nian checks the surveillance footage. He tries to be reasonable. He tells his girlfriend that her brother started the fight. She does not want to hear logic. She explodes. She screams that he has been useless for seven years. He still hasn't bought a house. Now he won't even defend her family. Yan Fei tries to hand over a phone, which causes a misunderstanding. The sister assumes the worst. She dumps Zhou Nian on the spot and returns his engagement ring.
The Aftermath
Jiang Chen takes Ren Jiatong home. He breaks down the legal situation for her. Ren Jiatong feels a shift. She is usually the one protecting her mother. It feels strange but nice to have someone protect her. Her roommate, Guo Xiaoyu, is waiting in the living room. She is still annoyed but clearly worried. Ren Jiatong explains her plan. She wants a settlement to get the tenants their money back. A more aggressive lawyer might just drag it out. Guo Xiaoyu understands. They patch things up.
The peace doesn't last. Liang Xiaosong posts photos of his "injuries" on Weibo. He claims a lawyer from Jun'an beat him up. The internet goes wild. People start cyberbullying the firm. Everyone tells Jiang Chen to apologize to kill the story. He refuses. He believes he did the right thing by protecting his colleague.
The Professional Cost
The partners hold an emergency meeting. Zhang Kai wants to fire or punish the interns to save face. Bai Xiao argues for leniency. The situation gets worse when the Nuanchao corporate team shows up early. They push all the deadlines up. The interns are scrambling.
Zhou Nian announces new scoring rules. You need to be number one in the group and have high personal scores to survive. Jiang Chen realizes he is going to lose points because of the fight. He confronts Bai Xiao. He claims he didn't break the law.
Bai Xiao shuts him down cold. She lists his errors. He left work without permission. He went to a client site and started a brawl. He brought the police into it. He caused a PR nightmare. He made extra work for the entire firm. She tells him that deducting points is actually a mercy. Ren Jiatong begs him to apologize and end the drama. Jiang Chen is stubborn. He refuses to admit he was wrong.
