Episode Summary
Li Wu faces a financial crisis at his company and hides it from Cen Jin. He sells his car and nearly makes a deal with a rival company, Kejun, to save his staff. However, the meeting is a trap set by Li Wu to record the rival admitting to corporate theft. He secures evidence for a lawsuit instead of selling out. Cen Jin supports him through the stress, and he ends up drunk at her apartment under her mother's watch.
Spoiler Alert
Love Bubbles and Business Troubles
Cen Jin is floating on cloud nine right now. She is deep in the honeymoon phase. Her colleague Shen Yun sees it immediately. Everyone else at the office looks miserable because of difficult clients. Cen Jin just smiles through it all. Shen Yun spends her whole life revolving around her kids. She has zero free time. She tells Cen Jin to enjoy this freedom while she can.
Cen Jin invites Li Wu to dinner. He has a rough day before he even gets there. He goes to Starlight Tech to beg for help. The person in charge ghosts him for half the day. He shows up late to the restaurant. He buys flowers from a little flower girl to smooth things over. They eat steak. Cen Jin gets nostalgic. She remembers when Li Wu first came to Yi City. He didn't even know how to use a knife and fork back then. Li Wu doesn't hear a word she says. He just keeps his head down and eats.
Secrets and Stairwells
Li Wu looks stressed. Cen Jin assumes it is because her mom opposes their relationship. She tells him to be patient. She thinks her mom will come around eventually. That isn't the problem.
Shen Yiyang calls Li Wu with bad news. He contacted some environmental companies for funding. It is the end of the year. Budgets are closed. The only company willing to talk is Kejun. Li Wu shuts that down immediately. Tongchen Company will never work with Kejun.
Cen Jin notices Li Wu’s palms are sweating on the drive home. She asks about work. He lies. He says it is just small bugs in the code. They get to her apartment building. Cen’s Mom is walking out the door. They panic. They dive into the elevator to hide. Cen Jin takes the elevator back up. She makes Li Wu take the stairs.
The Star and the Struggle
Li Wu spends the next few days hunting for investors. He keeps lying to Cen Jin about his progress.
Chun Chang is still doing her daily livestreams. Shen Yiyang surprises her. He hands her a photo. He discovered a new asteroid. He already submitted it to the international registry. He needs to observe it for a few more cycles to get the patent. Once he does, he plans to name the planet after her. Chun Chang is thrilled.
Things are much darker for Li Wu. The finance department drops a bomb. They can't pay next month's wages. Li Wu sells his car. He calls his partner Cheng Rui. Cheng Rui is in the hospital. He drank too much trying to schmooze investors.
Li Wu goes to the hospital. He sees Tao Wanwen there. She knows the company is drowning. She offers up her house down payment money to help. Cheng Rui refuses to take it. He promises to fix things. Li Wu hears this from the hallway. He doesn't go in. He leaves a message telling Cheng Rui to rest. He decides to bite the bullet. He agrees to meet with Kejun.
The Setup
Cen Jin isn't stupid. She knows Li Wu is in trouble. She takes him for a drive. Li Wu finally comes clean. The news is already online anyway. Cen Jin gives him a reality check. She tells him her happiness doesn't depend on his business success. He shouldn't do things he hates just to secure a future for them. It just creates pressure.
Li Wu goes to the meeting anyway. Old Yi is waiting in a private room. Li Wu acts defeated. He drinks three cups of alcohol as a penalty. He acts humble. Old Yi loves this. He always hated Li Wu’s arrogance. He feels like he finally won. He offers to buy back 30% of the shares.
The dinner ends. Li Wu stands outside the hotel to sober up. Cheng Rui runs up. He escaped the hospital with his IV drip unfinished. He is terrified Li Wu is getting scammed.
Li Wu drops the act. He pulls out a recording. He taped the whole conversation with Old Yi. He has proof Old Yi stole their technology. He also has proof Zhang Chenyang hacked the Tongchen algorithm system. He isn't selling shares. He is suing them for trade secret infringement.
They call a designated driver. The driver asks for the car keys. They realize they both sold their cars to pay the staff. It is a pathetic but funny moment. Li Wu stumbles to Cen Jin’s door. He is drunk. He remembers her mom is there and tries to leave. Cen’s Mom opens the door. Cen Jin sees his state. She insists on taking care of him. Her mom can't really stop her.
