01x02 - Episode 2

[bunniefuu]

SAY NO TO PIRACY, SUPPORT ORIGINALS

I've finished the revisions.
I'll email it to you in a bit.

Bye.

Sir, your package.

Thanks.

Apologize again with thanks.

{\an8}Here is the billing statement.

{\an8}Among the new products, the shampoo
and body wash are selling pretty well.

Sunscreen and serum sales
are also increasing.

Okay. Got it.

Xu Chi.

I told the Research
to send you home to rest.

Why are you still here?

I'd just be idle at home.
Might as well work.

Ms. Lin, you're done with your meeting?

I just ran into Mr. Pi.

I told him I asked to help out
with the Conference Team.

Getting to network
with some industry heavyweights

is totally worth it.

Good to know.

Mr. Pi is giving a speech
at the summit tomorrow afternoon.

I'll bring you along.

You can meet some people in the circle.

Alright. Thanks, Ms. Lin.

{\an8}Homegrown innovative companies
need to handle both sides at once.

Survival in the short term

and strategic positioning
for the long run.

Get back to the roots
of innovation and value creation.

Differentiating globally
while sharpening our competitive edge.

Multinationals are required to rethink

their business objectives
and strategies for the China market.

Balance risks and opportunities,
and be more proactive in finding ways

to turn China's unique strengths
into global value.

For example, product pipelines,
business models,

R&D capabilities, and talent.

Thank you all.

Alright. Thank you, Mr. Pi.

Next, let's welcome Mr. Ye Xinzhi,

partner at C&C Consulting, to the stage.

Let's welcome Mr. Ye.

Hello, everyone.

I'm Ye Xinzhi from C&C Consulting.

Your presentation earlier was brilliant.

I learned so much from you.

Mr. Chen. Mr. Li.

-Long time no see.
-Long time no see.

Hello. I'm Xu Chi from Maxmise Consulting.

-Hello.
-Which part did you find most interesting?

Sure. Right?

Long time no see.

How have you been?

Thanks, Ms. Lin.

New-quality productive forces
are a hot topic right now.

Our entire team
will be paying more attention to it.

So whenever you get the chance,

you should connect more
with the leaders in this space.

Got it.

Look.

This is Mr. Yan, President
of the Yunshang Internet Association.

I'll head over first.

-Mr. Yan.
-Hey.

-Long time no see.
-Long time no see.

Been busy lately?

Yeah. Always busy.

Why didn't you reply to my messages?

I wanted to ask you
about the Suhu AI industry cluster before,

but you never got back to me.

I figured you must have just forgotten
with how busy you are.

You bet.


LEADING THE FUTURE

Let me introduce you.

This is my new colleague, Xu Chi.

-Hi.
-Hello.

Mr. Yan.

I've got some inside info.

This morning,
Wanghu Pavilion Restaurant upstairs

just got in some top-quality hairtail.

The best delicacy.

Really?

Since we're already here,
why don't we head upstairs and chat?

Sure.

Come on.

Come on.

Hello. Could you tell me
where the Chinese restaurant is?

-Over there.
-Thanks.

What's wrong?

I'm fine.

Did you drink on your own,
or were you pressured into it?

Take a guess.

You'd better watch your back.

You think I just got propositioned?

What really happened?

Someone's out to get me.

{\an8}Mr. Yan, you're the man.

{\an8}The summit's got every private room
booked today,

{\an8}but the moment I dropped your name,

{\an8}-one opened up.
-Really?

The fish will be here soon.
Let's wait a bit.

Sure thing.

Let me take this call.

Hello, Mr. Zhao.

You really need to come to me for this?
Can't you handle it yourself?

Gotta go.

Be sharp.

-Mr. Yan likes being flattered.
-Try this.

-He hates awkward silences.
-Thanks.

Mr. Yan.

You just said future policies
will regulate AI misuse.

How strict will that be?

Very strict.

In our lingo, "Regulatory action
needs to hit the mark and hit hard."

Like when you were a kid,
didn't listen to your dad,

and got spanked.

Mr. Yan, you really have a sense of humor.

My belly hurts from laughing.

Don't hurt the baby.

If anything happened to the little one,

-I'd never forgive myself.
-Not at all.

My bad.

I'll take a drink as an apology.

Where's the wine?

-Excuse me.
-Hello.

Come on.

Bring me your best wine. Quick.

-Got it.
-Hurry up.

Good fish calls for good wine.

-Right?
-Yeah.

One second. Wait a moment. Here.

-Let's try something else.
-Okay.

Let's toast.

Mr. Yan, I'm so happy I totally forgot.

I can't have any alcohol right now.

But today we've got Xu as backup.
No worries.

Ms. Lin, I told you
I'm allergic to alcohol.

So what do we do now?

I'm pregnant.
Can't have me drinking, right?

Don't worry. Just take it slow.

Build up your tolerance.

Exactly.

That's how everything works.

First time's awkward, second time's easy.

Mr. Yan, I really don't drink.

Cheers.

-Drink up.
-Mr. Yan, I don't--

Come on.

There you go.

Right?

My superior set me up.

I had to drink way too much.

I kept pinching myself
while trying to find a way out.

Then she went to the restroom
and left her phone behind.

Her husband kept calling her.

I was worried it was urgent,
so I answered.

The next thing,

her husband showed up furious.

Mr. Yan got a face full of wine.
That was the end of that dinner.

Are you expecting me
to praise you or chew you out?

She's pregnant.

So just because she's pregnant,

I'm supposed to take it lying down?

Look,

if someone treats me with respect,
I return it tenfold,

but if they cross me, I'm not a pushover.

You've got a strong sense
of both defense and offense.

Seems like your days at Maxmise

aren't easy.

I've been more than decent to her.

I did everything I could.
I put up with everything I could!

Out of all the new hires,
I'm the best and the hardest-working.

What more does she want?

She's a woman too.

How could she come up
with such a dirty trick?

Because she feels threatened.

She's afraid you'll replace her.

No way! She's my mentor.

I'm just an intern business analyst.

People who don't feel secure
often lose out

on a lot of opportunities at work.

k*lling off a threatening young lion early

is the most common move among adult lions.

One bottle of water bought you


Pretty good deal.

You want me to walk you down
and call you a cab?

I wasn't in the bathroom throwing up
because my stomach hurt.

Just trying to limit the damage
from all that drinking.

Still, be careful.

Take care of yourself.

Mr. Ye.

Why did you leave P&J?

When I went back
to return your sunglasses,

I found out you'd already left P&J.

OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT
YE XINZHI, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

I really wanted to thank you in person

for your advice back then.

No need for that.

I was just saying something offhand.

Congratulations on making it into Maxmise,
just like you wanted.

Consultants have a practice.

Sometimes we take a gap at a corporate
just to stay connected to the market.

When you met me back then,
I happened to be gapping at P&J.

C&C Consulting
and Maxmise are competitors.

This hotel is packed
with summit attendees.

People might get the wrong idea.

You should head back. Good luck.

XU CHI LOVES MOM

Mom, look.

I love coming
to Grandma's apartment in Beijing.

-Mom. I want some tanghulu.
-Let's go!

NO. 92, YONG'AN ROAD

Lin Long.

Why are you so late?

You look worn out.

-You threw wine in his face…
-You're pregnant. Why were you drinking?

I… I wasn't drinking.

-It was just normal business talk.
-It is not normal!

You're impossible!

Don't walk away. Come back
and finish what you were saying!

I'd say just get a cat.

At least it gives you emotional support.

A cat works too, but I would still date.

And in terms of structure and process,
we need to analyze everything.

I'm heading off.

Morning, Ms. Lin.

Morning, Sha Sha.

Morning.

Mr. Pi is asking about the progress
on the Bolo Culture project.

Did you set up a meeting time
with them this afternoon?

Already done. Don't worry.

Bolo Culture is very happy
with Ms. Lin's proposal.

You…

Why did you answer
my phone for me yesterday?

I'm sorry.

You told me to drink with Mr. Yan.

-I had no idea your husband had a temper.
-Lower your voice.

Keep your voice down.

You want to blow things up, do you?

Let me make this clear.
Know what you should do

and what you shouldn't.

People who lack security miss out

on a lot of opportunities
in the workplace.

k*lling off a threatening young lion early
is the most common move among adult lions.

Got it.

What I should do is get
the Yuanming proposal done for you.

What's wrong?

That girl is absolutely awful!
I completely misjudged her!

Calm down.

Your performance
has ranked number one for years.

Nothing to worry about.

It's just a newbie trying to stand out.
We've seen plenty of those over the years.

Just don't let her shine on any projects.

She'll leave on her own
in a couple of days.

Once we get to Bolo Culture,

don't say a single word
without my permission.

-Got it?
-Got it.

Regarding the organizational efficiency
development after your acquisition

of Qingyi Literature,

Maxmise recommends a focused integration
of copyright content and design.

{\an8}MR. SHEN, BOLO CULTURE

{\an8}Maxmise suggests establishing

{\an8}a dedicated efficiency improvement team,
Exercise Evaluation Team, also called EET.

EET serves as the key driver
for the entire cost-reduction project,

using data-driven methods

to push deep collaboration
across organizations

and restructure cost frameworks.

At the top level,

the steering committee acts as sponsor,
providing strategic direction.

At the execution level,
the EET lead consolidates resources,

extending downward

into five functional areas,
including process optimization,

data analysis, HR coordination,

finance coordination,
and IT system integration,

-forming an end-to-end closed loop.
-Mr. Shen.

Something doesn't feel right to you?

Actually, yes.

Ms. Lin, can you just tell me straight up
what we actually need to do

to get the veteran Qingyi employees
to integrate into our group,

fall in line, and stay motivated
at the same time?

-Give me something useful.
-Useful stuff…

Coming up.

The biggest problem

with Qingyi Literature
is its chaotic internal management.

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE: OVERLY FLAT

It's been around for a while,

but--

Ms. Lin.

You want to take a break?

Yeah, yeah. Let's go downstairs
and grab some coffee.

Seriously, is that all they've got?

A few PowerPoint slides and some plans,
and they dare charge us eight figures?

What year is this?

These consulting firms
still think we're easy money.

Exactly.

Let me give you two numbers.

One-third of Fortune 500
board chairs have a background

in management consulting.

That's true.

A lot of traditional consulting firms
are just big talkers.

But what I value is Maxmise's status
as a top global firm

and the management expertise,
operating models,

and databases they bring to the table.

Those are real battle-tested assets

they built up over decades
across dozens of countries.

We're taking our IP commercial and global.
Who else are we going to rely on?

You?

You guys?

You're going to go to Rio, to Osaka,

country by country doing market research?

By the time you're done,
it'll be too late.

But their proposal just now
really wasn't good enough.

Then we won't choose them.

Besides Maxmise, there are other firms.

Let's use this project
to test the waters first.

Warm water.

Why did you speak
without my permission just now?

What did I tell you before we came?

They were all zoning out.

Using a question to recapture
the client's attention

and pull them back into the discussion.

That's a proposal technique you taught me.

I'm warning you one last time. Just one.

If you want to get through
your internship smoothly,

stay in your lane.

Mr. Shen.

Sorry about that.

No worries.
You're in a special situation after all.

But I do suggest
that if you're really not feeling well,

maybe take some time off.

Work isn't more important than your baby.

Xu Chi, what are you doing?

Wait, what do you mean?

Mr. Shen, you asked
how to get Qingyi employees

to listen, work hard,
and integrate, right?

The solution is to use money to bring
in a new cohort of employees.

Qingyi has been around for over 20 years.

Their average employee age is around 45.

They're used to family-style
workshop management.

Getting them to quickly integrate

into Bolo Culture,
which has only existed for five years,

is as hard as me suddenly becoming

a top web novelist making 50,000 a month.

Since your company isn't short on cash,
and all you care about is Qingyi's IPs,

why not start fresh?

Keep the senior executives for now.

Let all other former
Qingyi employees leave

with the market's best severance package
of 2N plus 10.

That way, regular employees can retire.

It also cleans up the mess quickly.

And it boosts
Bolo Culture's brand reputation.

Three birds with one stone.

Actually, I've always felt
that a lean, boutique HR structure

is one of your company's
greatest strengths.

So the follow-up reform plan
should also revolve around that.

Tell me more.

Let's save the suspense
for after the proposal meeting.

Sorry, Ms. Lin,

I don't like suspense.

-Go on.
-Alright.

Based on our preliminary research,

we found that Bolo Culture's
incentive system is actually quite solid,

but it has three coexisting pay models,

namely position-based,
skill-based, and performance-based.

It's overly mixed.

So here we suggest…

Thank you both for today.

Miss Xu, your proposal was excellent.

You're too kind.

Maxmise has always been committed
to providing our clients

with the highest quality
consulting services.

And of course, thank you too, Ms. Lin.

You have a great team.

Thanks for the compliment.

We'll get back to you soon.

-Looking forward to it.
-No need to see us out.

Happy now?

Had enough of the spotlight?

I helped salvage a project
that was about to fall through.

As a member of the team,
of course, I'm happy.

A member of the team?

Don't think I can't see it.

You joined Maxmise just to replace me.

Ms. Lin, you're overthinking it.

I'm just an intern analyst.

I wouldn't set replacing
a consultant two levels above me

as a goal.

You can fool others, but not me.

I'm really not lying to you.

Because my goal
isn't to replace you at all.

It's to become someone in this city
who can never be replaced.

Go on your own.

My car can't fit a dream that big.

Sha Sha, do you have a minute?

Come in.

I'd like to talk to you
about the Bolo Culture project.

That management team
is indeed a bit young.

Tough to handle.

Luckily, I changed
the proposal on the fly.

They've given preliminary approval.

Take a look.

But Xu Chi did something
absolutely ridiculous today.

She secretly pulled out

a stack of cash and tried to bribe
Bolo Culture's CEO.

You have no idea how awkward it was.

I can't even describe it.

Really?

Xu Chi is indeed a capable girl.

But that kind of behavior
violates business ethics,

and it's a huge red flag at Maxmise.

I don't think I'm suitable
to be her mentor anymore.

I suggest we terminate
her probation early.

Is that really what you want?

That way, she can still go
to other companies.

Nice proposal.

But 20 minutes ago,
Xu Chi sent me one too.

Her thinking is exactly the same…

PRODUCER - LIN LONG, XU CHI

…as yours.

No-- Sha Sha, this--

I can explain--

Do you think that's necessary, Lin Long?

You've been with me for so long.

I've never overlooked
your personality or your needs.

You thought Cindy poached
the Sato Pharmaceuticals project from you,

so I immediately gave you
the Bolo Culture project.

Now you're pregnant and low on energy,

so I found you an assistant.

You picked Xu Chi yourself,

and she's the most capable
among this batch of new hires.

I don't know what went wrong
in your communication,

but when it comes to teamwork,

she did better than you.

But she always acts on her own.

Does she even see me as her mentor?

She goes over my head on everything
without my approval.

Performance is the only thing
that matters.

You can't expect
to only ever have subordinates

who are less capable than you.

Whether you can manage them well
depends on your leadership.

The net you wove is too loose
to hold her down.

So she just slips
through the gaps and rises--

So this is all my fault then?

You're not in a good state today.

I suggest you take your leave immediately.

You like taking on work, don't you?
Then all of this is yours now.

Well done.

Well done.

BU TIANNA

It's just a newbie trying to stand out.
We've seen plenty of those over the years.

You thought she was a pushover.

She waited until everyone forgot,
then got her revenge.

She is more calculating than you.

Xu Chi is clearly someone
who can really get things done.

If you piss off Mr. Pi because of her,

aren't you afraid
he'll give you a hard time at work?

I just ran into Mr. Pi.

I told him I asked to help out
with the Conference Team.

Ms. Lin, you're overthinking it.

I'm just an intern analyst.

I wouldn't set replacing
a consultant two levels above me

as a goal.

Performance is the only thing
that matters.

You can't expect
to only ever have subordinates

who are less capable than you.

Watch where you're going!

Sorry about that.

My fault entirely.
We can do a fast-track insurance claim.

Ms. Lin?

Mr. Shen?

-I'm really sorry. I--
-You're bleeding.

You're pregnant.
How could you drive so carelessly?

Is the baby okay?

-It's fine.
-You're hurt.

I'll take full responsibility.
I'll take you to the hospital.

Doctor, the fees are paid.

-Alright.
-How is she?

The wound isn't deep. No stitches needed.

Just clean it

and apply the medicine once a day
for three days straight.

The wound is in her hair.
It's not really noticeable.

Is the baby okay?

We ran all the tests. Everything's fine.

But I've warned her before.

I told her to make sure
she gets plenty of rest.

But this time I saw
that her heart rate is too fast.

It's worse than last time.

As the father,

you should come with her
for more prenatal checkups--

No, no. Doctor, that's not it.

He's just my business partner,
not the baby's father.

I'm definitely not her husband.

I'm her client.

I'll wait outside.

Sorry about earlier.

I barely thought it was a big deal.
Don't mention it.

Thanks for driving me home.

Don't get the wrong idea.

It's just that you're pregnant.

If something happened to you,
I couldn't bear that responsibility.

You must be four or five months along?

When my sister was pregnant,

she was already on bed rest at this stage.

You're either running to our company

and standing for hours
giving presentations

or playing Fast & Furious on your own.

Is it really worth working yourself
to the bone for your company?

That's just how we consultants are.

And Maxmise really values

-this Bolo Culture project…
-Alright, alright. Stop it.

It's just the two of us here.
No need for all that corporate flattery.

I'll give you a little inside scoop.
Your company has a good shot at this deal.

So I suggest you just go home and rest up.

Leave the rest to Miss Xu.

She can handle the follow-up.

Xu Chi?

That's not really appropriate. She… She's…

She's inexperienced,
and she just joined the company--

And you're so experienced?

Your proposal wasn't that great.

Full of clichés.

You think you can just
swap out a model template

and rip us off?

Think we're just some
dumb money waiting to be fleeced?

Xu Chi's proposal
was more interesting than yours--

Enough already!

What?

What's your problem?

Sorry. I've been feeling
a bit unstable emotionally.

Your pregnancy hormones
are all over the place.

I get that.

But let me give you some advice.

Don't let this cost you clients,
cost you your boss,

and then cost you your husband.

Then you've got nothing left.

Game over. Got it?

{\an8}FOOD DELIVERIES PLEASE LEAVE AT DOOR
TABLE ON THE LEFT

Okay. I'll have three.

I want two more.

-Impossible!
-What's making you guys so happy?

Ms. Sha. Xu Chi has been
the first one in the office

for 27 days straight.

We were just chatting.

Wondering if she can keep it up
through the whole internship.

Zhiwen.

Zhiwen. The baby kicked.

Come listen.

Sha Sha.

I want to apologize
for my attitude yesterday.

I wasn't in a good place.

I don't even know if it's the pregnancy.

I've been through everything
you're going through.

Women make up less than a third
of the employees at Maxmise.

Helping you is helping myself.

From now on,

I'll focus on the Yuanming project.

Let Xu Chi take over
the Bolo Culture project.

I'll just oversee from behind.

That's the smart choice.

Nothing is more important
than your health.

Don't worry. When you come back,

your position and responsibilities
won't change.

That's my promise.

Thanks.

What's got you so happy?

Mr. Ye?

Have a seat.

Call me Richard.

Or, as your company does,
don't use an English name.

Call me Ye Xinzhi.

Just drop the "Mr." stuff.

In the CBD, if you shout that,
four out of ten people will turn around.

Hi. A beer, please.

Sure thing, sir.

-I'll have another one too.
-Got it.

Thanks.

Off work this early and so thrilled?
Did you pull off a coup or something?

After all this time at Maxmise,
I finally get to lead a project on my own.

Got a promotion? A raise?

Did your probation end early?

Wipe that smug look off your face.

Lots of people
from nearby offices eat here.

The consulting world is small.

If someone saw you
looking like you just got revenge,

and it ended up online…

Last time you told me to watch my back,
and now you're calling me out.

Drop the preachy attitude.
It's a real turn-off.

I hear you. Not changing a thing.

You seem pretty happy too.

Of course. I just closed a deal.

Tianhe Air brand transformation project.

What? Jealous?

When will I ever get to where you are?

When?

When you get smile lines,
bags under your eyes,

and no amount
of cosmetic procedures can fix them.

Why are you staring at me? I age well.

Anyway, congratulations.

And thank you

for the other day.

Your guidance and advice
have been invaluable to me.

Let me put it plainly.
Thank you. Thank you, sir.

Please, don't call me "sir."
And can you not toast me like that?

-Alright.
-Cheers.

Cheers.

By the way,

knowing how to dine with clients
and pick restaurants is also a skill.

French food takes too long.

Chinese food has too many
dietary restrictions.

Italian food? Just wait
till you're on business trips.

Room service spaghetti bolognese
is gonna be all you ever eat.

Try to avoid Japanese food

because in Japanese culture,
men inherently come before women.

The atmosphere affects how much a client
trusts and respects you.

So what kind of place should I go to?

Coffee shops.

Fast. Efficient.

Standardized service.
Talk business, then leave.

No drinking. No picking anyone up.

Also, never pour coffee or tea
for anyone at the office.

Because you're not a waitress. You're a…

Consultant.

Right now, you're just an intern analyst.

Above you are senior analysts
and associate consultants.

It'll take you at least two years
to make consultant.

Well, I came here for that goal.

Then I wish you success.
Maxmise's elimination rate is brutal.

You've got something
to say about everything.

One minute you're putting me down,
the next you're encouraging me.

One minute you have me
pouring you a drink,

the next you tell me to maintain dignity.

I was your interviewer.

That's different.

So as my interviewer,

teach me how to land
a big deal like Tianhe.

Good question.

Our firms are competitors.

That's confidential.
Can I just tell you that?

Then why did you teach me
how to pick restaurants?

Most people don't need to be taught that.

It's common sense.

Richard.

Right away.

Then I wish you continued success.

And that you buy back
your mother's old apartment soon.

Get what you came for.

Congratulations. You got what you wanted.

Still, be careful.

Take care of yourself.