01x14 - Episode 14

[bunniefuu]

SAY NO TO PIRACY, SUPPORT ORIGINALS

YUANZHOU DIGITAL COLLECTIBLES
CLOSES SERIES C FUNDING

YUANZHOU DIGITAL COLLECTIBLES
HAS COMPLETED HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF YUAN

IN SERIES C ROUND LED BY MORSE CHINA

Miss Xu, come. Join us for a photo.

-Come on.
-Go on.

Alright.

-Okay, thanks.
-You guys go ahead.

Come, Li.

-Come on.
-That's correct.

So beautiful.

Congratulations.

-Who's that?
-Xu Chi.

-That's her?
-So young.

Yet she's so capable.

What's wrong?

Don't want to see him looking all smug?

Stay here with me for a bit.

Okay.

What are you thinking about?

I'm thinking about
how much longer we have to wait.

Before the fish takes the bait?

Then we'll need some patience.

Yeah.

They just signed the formal contract.

They need to operate for a while.

Once the numbers start looking bad,

that's when we get our chance
to push him into the pit.

You think it's taking too long
and you're getting restless?

Aren't there still the Tianhe
and Morse projects?

It's not that I'm getting restless.

I'm afraid I won't have time
to enjoy being in love with you.

Actually, I don't have
that much time for dating.

I've got my own stuff to deal with.

Maxmise's investigation results
still aren't out.

The key issue is stuck on Yang Rui.

He refuses to admit
that I have nothing to do with this.

He insists that I wrote
that report with him

under Ma Ke's orders.

-Let me go talk to Mr. Pi.
-No.

I still want to handle it myself.

I don't want to sit around
waiting anymore.

I want to go on the offensive.

The consulting world is small.

Even if Mr. Pi does you a favor this time,

I'll always carry a stain
I can never wash off.

Clearing your name yourself
is the only way that feels satisfying.

You're right.

What a stubborn little lion.

Whatever you say.

Then I'll go take a look.

Look over there.

A GENTLE BREEZE COMES

THE SENTIMENTS LINGER

Did you do this?

No.

I… I just saw it and…

And you decided to pass the magic along?

Such a coincidence?

Yes, really.

Thank you.

I really like…

your little "piggyback" gift.

I've always felt like
a passerby in this city.

My biggest dream was just

an old apartment with 40 years of history.

I never thought

a piece of that brilliance
could actually belong to me.

And me.

I belong to you too.

2024 BOLO CULTURE
ANNUAL FILM & TV ADAPTATION IP SLATE

NO ONE APPLAUDS

You saw all that?

Saw what?

Drop the act.

I saw you replying in the group chat.

Quick question.

How does it feel
seeing your former subordinate

doing so well now?

However you're feeling right now,
that's how I'm feeling.

Look at her.

She's suspended pending investigation,

and she still pulled off
a hundred-million-yuan deal.

You're really not jealous?

No. I'm just envious.

People go through ups and downs.

No need to get all worked up
over winning or losing one round.

So whether it's Xu Chi
landing a huge investment banking deal

or you making the Bolo Culture project
such a success for me,

I just feel envious and happy for you.

But what if you're really just

a runner-up for life
and never get a medal?

You've always been a wallflower
at the consulting association's mixers,

but you still sign up every year.

I really don't like you.

But I really do like you.

Even though you know
you can never win an argument with me,

you keep coming back for more.

I won't hold it against you.

You're my team member, you know.

Mr. Shen?

What are you doing here?

I take a nap here every day at noon.

-Are you okay? Come on.
-I… I think I threw

-my back out.
-Easy now.

Come on.

Easy.

-How did my back suddenly just…
-Careful.

This way. Left. Come sit. Sit.

I'll go slow.

-Sit down slowly.
-I'm going slow.

Your back… Is your neck okay?

-My neck's fine. It's my back.
-Your back.

Here, hold this.

-Right here?
-Yeah.

My back hurts,

but how come I feel so much better
when you press my knee?

It's called the Weizhong acupoint.

I used to get back pain all the time
when I was pregnant.

Xu Chi taught me.

-Take it easy.
-Weizhong acupoint?

Xu… Xu Chi?

You're not bothered by Xu Chi anymore?

Bothered by what?

Hey, come on.

I heard what you said to Cindy earlier.

Xu Chi is doing better than you now.

You really are okay with it?

Mr. Shen, this has
nothing to do with work.

Can I not answer?

Come on, don't play dumb with me.

Nobody knows all the history
between you and Xu Chi

better than I do.

Spill it.
Where's your little drama at now?

It'd be a lie to say
I don't feel anything at all.

True.

Xu Chi and I used to have our issues.

But when it came to my divorce,
she really helped me out a lot.

If I were still jealous of her,
I'd be a real piece of work.

So now I just envy her and wish her well.

I'm even trying to help her.

Because a girl as capable as she is

shouldn't get dragged into
some ridiculous commercial bribery case.

So you two swapped roles now?

You're the Sun Wukong now,
pulling 72 tricks on me?

Mr. Shen,

if there's nothing else, I'll get going.

-Sorry for interrupting your nap.
-Wait…

Take it slow. Slow down.

Alright then. Let me treat you to a meal.

Think of it
as a thank-you for fixing my back.

No need. I already ate.

Ate what? That sandwich
you picked up off the floor?

I'm really not hungry.

This is an order.
Now come have lunch with me.

Don't forget, I'm the client.

The steak is amazing.
Why aren't you eating?

You need to eat more to put on weight.

You ordered this. I don't eat red meat,
and I don't want to gain weight.

If you like it, just have more.

Oh, please. You don't eat red meat?

You had so many photos of eating steak.

I've seen them all.

You're thin as a rail. Stop dieting.

Okay. Stop checking your Moments.

You blocked me on Moments,

but Cindy didn't.

She posted a ton
of unflattering photos of you.

Some make you look really heavy and messy.

There you go.

Eat more so you can put on some weight.

Putting on weight
boosts your immune system.

That way, when you and Cindy go at it,
you'll be in a better mood.

Sorry. Did I say something wrong again?

But honestly,

when you and Cindy fight,
it's like Tom and Jerry.

It's actually pretty funny.

Whenever I'm tired from work,
I get a kick out of watching you two.

You really have a way with words.

Believe me, next year this day
will be your death anniversary.

Okay.

Then mark my words, next year this day
will be our wedding anniversary.

Think you can beat me?

Where are you going?

Lin Long.

Be careful. Are you okay?

Put your phones away! Stop filming!

Never seen an old lady
with bad legs before?

-Are you okay?
-Stay away from me.

I was just joking.
Why did you take it seriously?

-I just don't have a filter--
-That's enough!

Still, that doesn't give you
the right to push people around.

You think just because you're the client,
you can pick on me like this?

Let me tell you, I've had enough of this!

Who's picking on you?

Lin Long. Lin Long.

I know you're furious.

Come on, I'll give you a chance.

Come at me.

Take it out on me. Come on.

What's your problem?

You're the one with the problem.
I'm trying to fix you.

A shrink is expensive and useless.

Nothing works better
than throwing punches at me.

From what I've seen,
you've been living like a robot lately.

It was like that outside the bathroom
that day, and it's the same today.

Okay. I'll give you a chance.

Just take it out on me.

Come on.

-You mean it?
-Yeah, hit me.

Your client now wants you to throw
a few heavy punches at him.

Come on.

Don't laugh. I actually learned this.

Like anyone hasn't trained.

Come on.

Be water, my friend.

Make your move.

Hold on. Let me get my nunchucks.

Forgot to bring them today.
I'll just use air as nunchucks. Come on.

What's wrong?

Wait.

Well… Bruce Lee's back
doesn't seem to be working too well.

-My back's acting up again.
-Go over there.

-Go.
-Wait. Slow down.

Oh my God. Easy. Look at you…

Why are you trying to act tough?

Oh man.

Easy, easy.

No laughing.

Why can't I laugh?

Fine, laugh all you want.

Mr. Shen, do you have feelings for me?

When I was pregnant,
you took me to the hospital

and got me that amulet.

And now on this project,
you're always looking out for me.

You care about my health,
my eating habits,

and you let me hit you and yell at you.
Is all of this just to make me happy?

I… I don't. Don't be ridiculous.

You love to tease me,
and you're trying to get close to me.

Is this your way of getting my attention?

No. I…

I… I… At most, it's just…

It's just sympathy.

I just want our project to go smoothly.

Don't…

Hello.

Yes. Okay, okay.

Alright, bye.

Uh,

the bank suddenly needs me for something.
I should go.

I… I won't be able
to drive you home today.

-See you around.
-Okay.

Why are you here?

You've been off the grid.
Your phone's been off too.

I remembered you live nearby,
and you said you like Benbang noodles.

I searched all over a food app.
Finally found the place.

What?

You escaped your misery,
went to a new company to live it up,

and now you're here to show off?

I just found out
you told the investigation team

that the plan to make Celestial redo
their microservices architecture

was something we did together
under Ma Ke's orders.

Why did you set me up?

You know I was against that plan.
I tried to change it more than once.

Trying to trap me?

Dare you unlock it?

Explain it.

You broke up with me.

You said we should part on good terms.

So why did you lie
to the investigation team

and drag me into this mess?

Yang Rui. What did I ever do to you?

You did do me wrong.

Did you ever really like me?

Your heart always belonged
to someone else.

What did I do wrong?

I just listened to Ma Ke.

Maxmise has such a high turnover rate.
What's wrong with clinging to my leader?

I didn't take a single cent from this,
but they don't believe me!

They have his transfer records to me,
so they're saying I took bribes.

Then show them the chat logs
and flight info.

I did. It didn't work.

But I fronted too much money for Ma Ke.
There's no way to sort it all out.

I asked Ma Ke to testify,

but he threatened me
and asked me to drag you into it.

Because your boyfriend
is a partner at Hezong.

If he's willing to cover for you,
we still have a way out.

I know it's despicable,

but it wasn't easy
for me to get into Maxmise.

I have a mortgage
and a car loan to pay off.

And I want to make partner someday.

I don't want to lose this one chance.

Yang Rui.

Let's figure this out together, alright?

It's no use.

The company doesn't trust me anymore.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have
kept me suspended for this long.

Can you help me, Xu Chi?

Get your boyfriend to step in

and let me stay at Maxmise.
I'll do anything.

But I fronted too much money for Ma Ke.
There's no way to sort it all out.

RECORDING

I asked Ma Ke to testify,
but he threatened me

and asked me to drag you into it.

This recording should prove
I'm innocent, right?

It's a good start. But it's not enough.

The investigation team might think

Yang Rui only said those things
to clear your name.

Fair point.

I'll also need physical evidence.

You've made a lot of progress.

At least you're trying
to save yourself now.

With something this complicated,

you can't rely on the company
to figure it out on their own.

Drag it out too long, and you're done for.

Sha.

You got Lin to pass along
what Yang Rui told

the investigation team to me, right?

You figured it out.

Why are you helping me?

You don't blame me
for dragging you into this?

After all, it was because I wanted
to transfer to digital finance that…

Why does there have to be a reason?

You're my subordinate.

You got framed just like I did.

Of course, I'd help you.

Besides,

if you can get out of this,
it benefits me too.

For one, Bu Tianna
will stop camping outside my door.

And Richard will owe me a favor.

But more than that, I want you to know
that in this company, in this industry,

not every leader
steps on their subordinates

to get ahead like Ma Ke.

Thank you, Sha.

Alright. Go find the people at Celestial.

Sha.

I've actually been thinking.

Has Ma Ke still not admitted
he took money from Director Peng?

No.

He only admitted to taking the request

and suggesting
an outsourcing company in the proposal.

He never confessed to taking bribes.

But Peng insists

he personally gave Ma Ke
two million in cash.

There's a time, a place, and witnesses.

Two million in cash?

So no transfer records?

If Ma Ke had finished
the Celestial project,

he'd be promoted
to associate partner, right?

Would he really gamble
his whole career away?

Is it possible
he really didn't take the money?

The company did check his credit records.
Everything was normal.

Can you arrange for me to talk to him?

If we can prove he didn't take the money,
this whole thing is over.

-You really want to do this?
-Is there a problem?

If you speak up for him now,
you could get pulled in even deeper.

You could've used this recording
to clear your name.

Why wade into this mess?

Because the higher-ups
have already decided that whether

Ma Ke took the money or not, he is out.

Even so,

being fired for bribery
and resigning over policy violations

aren't the same thing.

I do have a history with Ma Ke.

I really have no reason to help him.

But what you just said gave me an idea.

I want to do something.

To prove I can clear my name
without relying on connections.

To prove I'm not like Yang Rui,
who drags others down with him.

When are you going to see Ma Ke?

How do you know Sha agreed?

Sha's smart.

She set up the meeting with Ma Ke.

If nothing comes out of it,
it doesn't hurt her personally.

If something does,

you and she become the heroes
who saved Maxmise's reputation.

Actually, I'm kind of scared now. What if…

What if Ma Ke really did take the money,

and I really do get pulled in deeper
like Sha said?

Hands off your head.

Cross your arms in front of your chest.

-Like this?
-Yeah. A bit lower.

Not that high.

-Like this?
-Yeah, that's good.

Let's have dinner tonight.
I want to introduce you to a friend.

A friend?

-A guy or a girl?
-A girl.

A girl?

You know Jun'an, right?
One of the top Red Circle Law Firms.

There's this legendary lawyer, Bai Xiao.

She has handled
a lot of commercial bribery cases.

If you have a lawyer with you
when you meet Ma Ke,

it should save you a lot of trouble.

You did that on purpose.

I just wanted to mess with you.

Now this is messing with you.

Cutie.

Ye Xinzhi!

Come on. Time to cool down.

-Let's stretch.
-You do it.

-Come on, stretch.
-Me?

Me?

No. I just finished.

I just finished my set.

So gross and mushy.

I seriously can't stand you guys
being so lovey-dovey.

Spare me the details next time. Thanks.

No, don't you…

Don't you think he's so charming?

Charming?

I mean…

Nice weather today, huh.

Thanks a lot. It's raining today.

I really can't talk
to you women when you're in love.

Aren't you in love?

No, I'm not.

You and Zhao Heng

-are just colleagues who eat together.
-Colleagues.

Right, colleagues.

What's wrong with colleagues
eating together?

Nothing.

But going home together after dinner?
That's something.

Sha.

Hey, Sha.

I'm ready. I can head over anytime.

I… I didn't mean it like that.

Can you help me talk to him?

Or a video call? Would a video call work?

Alright, I got it.

Okay. Thanks.

What's wrong?

Ma Ke refused to see me.

-Why?
-I don't know.

Sha just said Ma Ke refused
when he heard I was bringing a lawyer.

He said I'm the last person

in the whole company
he wants to see right now.

It's fine.

Not seeing him doesn't cost me anything.

I already met with Ms. Yu
from Celestial this morning.

She's pretty willing to help me.
You think I should get her a gift?

Is it appropriate?

Let's build a model and analyze it.

No need. I'm just giving a gift.

Do we really need
a consulting model for that?

It's not about the gift.
It's about why Ma Ke is dodging you.

You changed the subject,

but I can tell you're still not over it.

EXPECTATION

Three major problem models.

Which one does Ma Ke's refusal
to see you fall under?

A gap between expectation and reality.
So it's a restoration-type problem.

But we really don't need to analyze it.

Sure, I'm a little sore about it,
but I'll sleep it off. Really.

Will sleep really pull out
that thorn in your side?

Smart people always have
one thing in common.

They're not great at facing failure.

When they hit a setback,
they either shut down

or have a total meltdown.

So, my brilliant girlfriend,

will you let me give you
a consultant crash course today?

Okay.

Now we know what type of problem this is.
So what do we do next?

Analyze the root cause
behind the phenomenon.

There are about three directions.

One,

Ma Ke just hates me

because of our past.

Two, he's wary of lawyers,
so he's resistant.

So what's the conclusion?

The investigation team is strict,

so Ma Ke has deep hostility
toward both Maxmise and me.

If I want to achieve my original goal,

I need to find a way to see him
without a lawyer.

But that's not hard.

I've sent him packages before,
so I have his home address.

Wear the bracelet and bring pepper spray.

Just like with Yang Rui.
Better safe than sorry.

Do you think it's shady that I secretly
recorded with the bracelet?

-No.
-Then would you laugh at me?

Because I was set up by my ex-boyfriend.

Of course not.

Without him, how would I look so good?

You still want to help him, right?

I always remember how he helped me
when I first joined Maxmise.

I actually don't think he's a bad guy.

He was just forced into a corner.

He probably didn't say anything serious.

Otherwise, you wouldn't have
had such an easy time

during your leave.

The investigation team
would've been all over you.

You're actually speaking up
for your love rival?

You think he's worthy
of being my love rival?

Honestly, you and Tianna belong together.

-You're both so full of yourselves.
-Whoa, hold on.

I can't take that.
That's way too rich for me.

I'd rather stick
to something plain and simple.

Plain and simple?

-Wait… Stop.
-I'm "plain and simple"?

My bad. My bad. Back to business.

I give up.

Good.

By the way, I saw you preparing for class.

Why did you suddenly decide to be
a guest professor at a business school?

The moment Morse's funding came in,

Wen Ruosen started burning money
like crazy on promotion.

The agreement terms are so harsh.

Even if we don't push from behind,

he'll be driven forward
by capital and greed.

It's like playing Go.

Once you secure your territory,
you start building momentum.

I can't just wait for the digital
collectibles market to blow up on its own.

Huanghe Business School
is a well-known think tank.

If I can use my lectures
to let the people who get to shape policy

know about systemic risks
in digital collectibles,

then Wen Ruosen's done for.

I really love this scheming side of you.

Consulting is always about open strategy.

Not scheming.

I don't care. I love it anyway.

Mr. Shen.

LACTATION ROOM

You're still at work.

What a coincidence.
You're still at work too.

Actually, I was just joking that day.

You don't have to run scared
every time you see me.

Should I take the day off
for the delivery meeting

the day after tomorrow,
so you won't feel so awkward?

Not awkward.

I just forgot a file.
I came back to get it.

This is your office?

This is my new offi…

Uh, it's my office during the day.
At night they

use it as a lactation room.

No… This isn't right.

I used to be the one laughing at you.
How did the tables turn?

Maybe before,
you always saw me at my worst.

But now I've finally
pulled myself together.

I… I… I wanted to ask you…

You said all that to me that day.

You don't have a crush on me, do you?

Okay,

stop. It's not gonna be anything good.

I… I know myself pretty well.
I know I'm…

Who were you on the phone with?
Not arguing with Cindy again, are you?

It was Xu Chi.

She wants to find a colleague
to prove her innocence.

But this guy moved after being suspended.
No one can reach him.

That's easy.

Do you have his number?
I can track him down in no time.

Invading personal privacy is ill*gal.

What are you talking about?

I used to work in network security.

If I want to, I have


Thanks, but no thanks.

Trust me.

How old is he? Married?

About mid-30s. His kid's eight.

Moving is easy,
but switching a kid's school is hard.

As long as you know
where his kid goes to school,

just wait at the school gate.

He's a local, middle-aged, unemployed guy.

His wife would definitely
make him pick up the kid.

Don't rush me. I've been waiting two days.

-Still haven't seen him.
-But this afternoon at 5:30,

Celestial and Maxmise are holding
a joint investigation briefing.

If you can't get through
to Ma Ke before then,

you might really be in trouble.

I know.

Talk to you later.

EXPERIMENTAL PRIMARY SCHOOL
EAST CAMPUS

Ma Ke! Ma Ke!

Sorry. I got the wrong person.

-Sorry.
-It's fine.

Chi! Found Ma Ke. Get in!

Found him?

Ma Ke's kid is sick.

-He's been at the hospital.
-How did you find out?

Du's team has a professional
business investigation team.

Great.

But what if

he's upset about his kid's situation
and doesn't want to see me?

The investigation briefing
is in an hour and a half.

My fate is about to be sealed.

Our fate is always in our own hands.

Back when I was framed, I had no one.

But you're different. You have me.

The kid's already been admitted.
I'll talk to you later.

Ma Ke!

Don't you want to tell your kid
his dad was framed?

Let me just say three things.

First, I'm willing to believe
you didn't take Celestial's money.

Second, I don't like you,

but I really
want to help you and Yang Rui.

Because only by proving
you didn't take bribes

can I go back to Maxmise
with my head held high.

Third, I found a way to see the mid-term
investigation report and found a problem.

Peng from Celestial says
you two met many times to discuss things.

One of those times was last month
on the 24th at 7:30 p.m. at Century Mall.

But I checked your schedule.

That night at 6:30,
you were still near the airport.

With evening rush hour,
that's just impossible.

Why would he lie about a detail like that?

The investigation team believes

that after Ma Ke's team
received a two-million bribe

from Director Peng,

they revised the consulting plan

to induce Celestial
to purchase IP services

from a company connected to Director Peng.

Here's the evidence.

One, in the chat records
between Ma Ke and Peng Yuan,

Peng Yuan hinted
that changing the entire IT architecture

would be better for Celestial's future.

And after introducing a familiar vendor,

he said he'd thank Ma Ke later.

I HAVE TO THANK YOU IN PERSON FOR THIS
LET'S MEET AT THE USUAL PLACE

Two.

FOOTAGE FROM THE CAFÉ ON THE 29TH

The café surveillance footage shows

that on the 29th,
the two did meet at Century Mall.

Director Peng gave Ma Ke a tennis bag.

Three, Yang Rui admitted that afterward,

Ma Ke did ask him to suggest changing

Celestial's entire IT system
architecture in the proposal.

The evidence is rock solid.

Our company's Inspection Department
is all ex-economic crimes investigators.

Xu Chi probably
can't talk her way out of it.

-You can't go in!
-Here for the meeting!

LEGAL DEPARTMENT

Miss Xu, this involves you directly.
You can't go in.

Don't make me lose my temper.

She really can't go in.

I won't go in.
Can I just edit the slides here?

Zhao Heng. Do me a favor.

-Hold this bag up. I'll record a video.
-Okay.

I’ve used wireless screen
casting in this meeting room before.

I should be able to do it
outside of the door.

All this evidence…

-What's going on?
-Exactly.

-What's happening?
-I don't know.

-What's this?
-What's going on?

-No idea.
-What's happening?

I'M XU CHI. I'M RIGHT OUTSIDE THE DOOR

Director Peng?

I HAVE EVIDENCE CELESTIAL'S DIRECTOR PENG
HAS BEEN DECEIVING THE INVESTIGATION TEAM

CAMERA SHOWS MA KE MET DIRECTOR PENG

THEN WALKED OFF WITH
THE SO-CALLED TWO MILLION. BUT!

HE DOESN'T KNOW TWO MILLION
IN CASH WEIGHS AT LEAST 26 KILOGRAMS!

WE PUT 25 KILOS OF DUMBBELLS
IN THE SAME TENNIS BAG

EVERYONE, TAKE A LOOK
NO ONE COULD CARRY THAT OFF SO EASILY

THE BAG'S DEFORMED. IT'S HARD TO CARRY!

We're in a meeting.
Can't let any involved parties in.

I just need five minutes.

Director Peng insists
he and Ma Ke met in private many times

to discuss things.

One meeting was on the 18th
at 4 p.m. at Binhe Brewpub.

Another was on the 25th at 7 p.m.
at Ohara Japanese Cuisine.

But everyone, look at this.
Ma Ke has severe gout.

This is his prescription from
a follow-up hospital visit on the 15th.

Everyone knows beer and seafood
are the worst things for gout.

So how credible is Director Peng's story?

That's just circumstantial.

Maybe they were just talking
and not drinking at all.

I have other evidence.

HOSPITAL OUTPATIENT MEDICAL RECORD

This is Ma Ke's phone.

Ma Ke and I contacted
an engineer from Siwei Group

to do a remote monitoring session.

That's right. Siwei handles this phone's
after-sales service in China.

The engineer already verified it.

The system and apps on this phone
haven't been modified in any way.

If anyone doubts it,
feel free to bring in a third party

for a more professional,
accurate legal review.

That's right.

You may not know this, but this phone

actually tracks
the owner's location history.

Take a look, everyone.

On the 18th at 4 p.m.,
Ma Ke was near the airport.

There's no way he could've gotten
to Binhe Brewpub 15 kilometers away.

Also, on the 25th,

Ma Ke's location was very far
from Ohara Japanese Cuisine.

Could all of this
just be Director Peng misremembering?

It has that function?

I need to check on my husband's phone.

In short, I believe
the mid-term investigation report

relied too heavily
on Director Peng's one-sided account.

He's determined to drag our team
down with him. Maybe he's gambling.

He's betting that
with two major companies cooperating,

things can be swept under the rug.

Mr. Zheng,

please believe that Maxmise,

as a top consulting firm,
operates with professional integrity.

Maybe the tennis bag
just had a tennis racket in it?

Everyone, please step outside
for a moment.

Sha Sha. Yu.

Let's have a quick meeting.