01x05 - Episode 5

[bunniefuu]

SAY NO TO PIRACY, SUPPORT ORIGINALS

Yang Rui.

Thanks.

I owe you one again.

I'll take you out for a nice meal.

No need.

You're a good girl.

And it's not the first time I've seen
Lin Long snooping through your files.

As your senior,
I thought I should tell you.

Be more careful
with your work from now on.

Is Yang Rui into you?

Don't just accept his help
without giving him anything back.

Can…

Can you thank Zhao Heng for me?

He helped me mostly because of you.

You're changing the subject.

I'm not thanking him. Thank him yourself.

Okay, on to business.

How did you know Lin Long
would take the bait?

After Yang Rui warned me last time,
I started paying attention.

She used to be my mentor,

so we share the same
company database account.

I checked her browsing history
from the past two days

and found that most of it

was related to C&C Consulting, Ye Xinzhi,
and Tianhe Air.

And with what Zhao Heng told me,

I was even more certain.

So I pretended to be
on the phone with Ye Xinzhi.

And sure enough,

-I caught her eavesdropping.
-Yes. It's been signed.

Yes.

This is all thanks to you, Richard.

Okay.

Send the documents over by courier then.

I'll review them right away.

So what about the signature
that mysteriously disappeared?

Fading ink from the stationery store.

The writing is clear
for the first half hour.

But the longer it's exposed to air,
the more obvious the oxidation reaction.

FIRST COPY-CONFIDENTIAL DOCUMENT
ACKNOWLEDGMENT-OF-RECEIPT FORM

SIGNEE

RECEIVED BY OCTOBER 6, 2025

This is impossible.

-Impressive.
-That's terrifying.

I'm never crossing you now.

Don't be like that.
We helped our friend out together.

-Zhao Heng.
-Yes.

You're a good man.

But don't waste your time on me.
It's useless. Got it?

If you spent that time and energy
on some other girl,

maybe by this time next year,
I'd be giving your kid a red envelope.

Kid?

You're already thinking about having kids.

I was just thinking
about some casual flirting.

How do you think Sha Sha
will handle Lin Long?

Probably not much.

Labor law, you know.

But at least one thing's for sure.

I won't be pushed around
by her so easily anymore.

She set me up.

She set me up.

She set me up.

It was all part of her plan.

Weren't her accusations true?

If you hadn't been so paranoid,
constantly accusing and suppressing her,

and if you hadn't walked
right into her trap,

would things have escalated to this point?

You always say Xu Chi is scheming
to replace you.

But from where I stand,

she's way better at playing
the game than you are.

She held in all her resentment

and only let it all out
at the crucial moment.

She asked me for a resolution,
but didn't pressure me into a decision.

Lin Long, I don't want to hurt you.

But please, with the calmness
and thoroughness

expected of a qualified consultant,
tell me, if you were in my shoes,

how would you resolve this?

If you want to fire me, just say so.

No need to beat around the bush.

Of course not!

Lin Long. Why are you so sensitive
and neurotic?

I suggest you take
your maternity leave early!

That's impossible!

My due date is still two months away.

I have to work till the end!

Look at your condition right now.
Are you fit to work?

I haven't received a single work report
from you lately!

Aside from monitoring Xu Chi,
have you been involved in any projects?

Have you been putting in any effort?

Lin Long, listen.

Choosing when to take
your maternity leave is your right,

but assigning what work after your leave
is my responsibility.

We need to stay in close contact with Bolo

during the execution phase
of this project.

This is a good opportunity.

Learn from a few directors.

Got it. Let me get that for you.

Heng, where is she?

Lin's not feeling well. She applied
for early maternity leave with HR.

Sha Sha had Lu Le take over her projects.

I tried everything
and couldn't make it happen,

but you did.

Not bad.

Just reaping what others sowed.

On the Bolo Culture project,
I'm just a grunt.

Here's the document you asked for.

NO. 92, YONG'AN ROAD

UNIT 1

Miss Xu, here to see the place again?

Yeah.

But I can't even afford
the down payment right now.

The owner of 201 keeps saying
the price has dropped too much.

Selling now wouldn't be worth it.

Maybe by the time
you have the down payment ready,

he'll be willing to sell.

Could you contact the owner?

At least let me take a look at the place.

I can pay for it.

Well… I'll try.

Please try your best for me.

Let me know if you hear anything.

-Okay.
-Thanks.

Bye.

Spotting.

Cervix is a bit short too.

There's a risk of premature labor.

I know you have a busy job,

but in this condition,
you really should rest more.

-But I'm already on maternity leave.
-That's good.

I'll prescribe a week of progesterone
to support the pregnancy.

I came today because I wanted you to
prescribe something to regulate my mood.

A lot of people have been saying
I'm emotionally unstable lately.

And I feel like I can't control
my emotions either.

I just feel really anxious.

But anti-anxiety medication
during pregnancy

needs to be used very cautiously.

I don't think your condition
is severe enough to require medication.

I'd recommend
talking more with your family.

Get plenty of rest.

Richard.

What couldn't be said over WeChat
that you had to come here?

It's getting late.

-Let's grab dinner together.
-No, no.

I came here because I didn't
want to run into any colleagues.

I need to come clean about something.

I used you as a decoy
to set a trap for Lin Long.

She's the supervisor who forced me
to drink at Wanghu Pavilion Restaurant.

-What really happened?
-Someone's out to get me.

Get in.

Lin Long is really spiraling right now.

What if she keeps spreading rumors
while she's on leave?

You said the consulting circle is small.

Could this affect you?

That's what you're worried about?

You were so tough
when you dealt with Lin Long before.

Why are you so jumpy all of a sudden?

You gave me that nickname "poser".

So I guess I'm kind of
an eligible bachelor.

I've been around plenty of women,
married and single.

I've had all kinds of rumors
made up about me.

One more from you?

It's not going to cause much of a stir.

If Sha Sha hadn't given me
that meaningful warning,

I wouldn't be here
listening to you show off.

DON'T LET UNNECESSARY RUMORS
HOLD BACK YOUR GROWTH

Your boss told you to be careful,
and you came to warn me?

That night you drank so much.

That was with Tianhe Air'
senior management, right?

My little non-story
doesn't even count as juicy gossip,

so it's no big deal.

But Tianhe Air used to be state-owned.

It's the small oversights
that bring down whole empires.

What if rumors about information leaks
or corporate spies start spreading

and people actually believe them?

It could hurt your project.

And then you'll black out again.

I landed the Tianhe Air project

because of years
of deep industry experience

and C&C Consulting's
unique management model.

Not some movie-style trade secret

where one stolen USB drive
brings down the whole company.

And I don't think Sha Sha was warning you.

She really sees potential in you.

That's why she was giving you advice.

After all, women face a lot more trouble
in the workplace than men do.

-Buckle up.
-What for?

You got promoted.
You have to treat me to dinner, right?

Happy to treat you.

But don't go overboard.

This place doesn't look cheap.

-Come on.
-Let's toast.

Come on.

Hey, would you…?

I chose this place on purpose.

People from the Da'ai Foundation
Consulting Industry Chapter

have dinner here every month.

Wh-What are you doing?

You're worried about rumors, right?

Let me teach you something.

The best way to manage
a potential crisis isn't to avoid it.

It's to take the initiative
and give the rumors no place to land.

Let's go.

Du!

You're all here. What a coincidence.

Uh…

Wh… Who's this?

This is our little junior, Xu Chi.

Her family asked me to look out for her,
but she ended up at Maxmise on her own.

Let me introduce you. This is Du.

He used to be at Boen.
Now he's out on his own.

Hello, Du.

I don't need to introduce Sha Sha, do I?

-Ms. Sha.
-Sha Sha.

This girl has
a really stubborn personality.

Keep her in line at the office.

Xinzhi, why are you being
so formal with me?

She's already key to my team now.

She just came in
through campus recruiting,

and she's already an SBA.

Du.

Give us an introduction.

Oh, we're from
the Da'ai Foundation Consulting Chapter.

Let's go around.

Come on. This is Wang Teng
from Tengfei Consulting.

Hello. I'm Wang Teng
from Tengfei Consulting.

-Hello. I'm Xu Chi.
-Just call me Wang.

-Mr. Wang.
-This is Wu.

Wu Ming from Haowang Consulting.

-Hello.
-Wang is actually quite young.

He just looks older than his age.

-Not at all.
-You really don't know how to talk.

Thank you.

What, you're mad at me?

Upset that I turned
a perfectly decent young professional

into a nepotism hire?

A little.

But I don't really have the right
to be precious about it.

Your method really did work.

Now that I'm your junior,
no one will misunderstand,

and my path forward is clearer.

There's nothing wrong
with being my junior.

Even Sha Sha calls me senior.

I didn't do much. Just said a few words.

At most, it'll keep Sha Sha from being
wary of you for pushing Lin Long out.

Your friend Bu Tianna
is the one with the real connections.

Bu Tianna doesn't rely entirely
on connections.

She works hard on her own too.

You need to let go
of that student mentality.

I know. That's why I keep telling her
it's not shameful to use her network.

That's exactly what I mean
by student mentality.

What do you mean by "not shameful"?

What do you mean by "she doesn't
rely entirely on connections"?

Those words imply that you're okay
with accepting help in your career,

but deep down, you look down on it.

Miss, times have changed.

Consulting isn't some glamorous industry.

It's just about making money
for companies.

If you can't understand
society and capital faster than others,

you won't last long in this job.

Is refusing help
also a form of student mentality?

You caught my subtext?

Someone like me,
who fought all the way up,

has never gotten lucky.

But you've been too good to me.

You only interviewed me once,
and you've given me so much guidance.

I…

Don't get too excited.

Sometimes free things
are the most expensive.

Now I'm a partner.

I'll need one or two trusted people.

Not company people. Mine personally.

So I can have them handle things
I can't do myself,

without leaking any trade secrets.

And you could be that person.

That's why I've been paving
the way for you a bit.

But whether it works out or not
depends on you.

Yes, my lord.

You didn't even think it over
before saying yes?

My instincts already made the call.

Ambition has always driven me forward.

Working for a partner of
C&C Consulting for a year

will teach me more than three years
of figuring things out on my own.

The sooner I become a consultant,

the closer I get to my dream
and my mom's old apartment.

Why wouldn't I seize
such a good opportunity?

So, what do you need me to do?

First, finish what's on your plate.

Let me see that you have the ability
to complete a whole project on your own.

Send me your personal email.

I have some public materials.

Go through them when you have time.

What, not enough work?

You'll cry from how exhausted you'll be.

I don't think your condition
is severe enough to require medication.

I'd recommend
talking more with your family.

Get plenty of rest.

You're back.

So you're home.

I messaged you saying I made dinner
and was waiting for you.

Didn't you see it?

I've been busy all day.
Didn't check my phone.

I already ate.

I haven't eaten yet. Eat with me.

Zhiwen, I shouldn't have lost my temper

about your dad buying
the apartment last time.

But you know I've been
emotionally unstable during pregnancy.

But I won't do that anymore.

I've already applied
for early maternity leave.

I'm coming home to rest now.

You won't have to order takeout anymore.

Just come home early after work.

I'll make you dinner.

Alright?

Here. Try this.

It's your favorite.

I made it just for you.

Zhiwen, just have a taste.

The food's getting cold.

I'm not coming home late
because of overtime.

I've been at the gym.

I haven't touched carbs or greasy food
for almost a month now.

Do you even listen to anything I say?

Well, you don't pay attention
to my stuff either.

The doctor called you today about my risk
of premature labor, right?

I was there listening.

I had her hang up
because I didn't want you to worry.

Have you said one caring thing
to me since you walked in?

I knew you were setting this up.

You just want to play the sick card
and force me to bow down to you.

Who's forcing you?

I am apologizing to you.

I made this whole table of food.

I already gave in first.

What more do you want from me?

Come on.

You just wanted to show off
how hardworking and virtuous you are.

Like I'm forcing a pregnant woman
to do housework.

Can't we hire a cleaner?

Can't we order takeout?

I just want to know this.

Why do you always have to look down
on me from your moral high ground?

Jiang Zhiwen,
have some conscience, will you?

Look at my condition right now.

Even if you're just pretending,

can you at least act like
you care about me?

I really don't feel well right now.

My body feels awful.

Work isn't going well either.

Knowing me, do you think I'd be home

on maternity leave this early
if I had a choice?

From now on, do whatever you want.

Just don't drag me into it.

When your due date comes,
I'll take you to the hospital.

After that, we go our separate ways.

Jiang Zhiwen, don't leave!

Come back here and explain yourself!

Are you trying to force me into divorce
with this cold treatment?

Are you crazy?

Who said anything about divorce?

I just can't stand listening to you.

Just have the baby safely.

We'll still have that bond
as husband and wife.

Don't keep using divorce as a weapon.

Otherwise, you'll end up with nothing!

Bye, my lord.

Why didn't you drive her home?

Her place is really close to mine.

-Why would I?
-Close?

Then you should definitely drive her home.

You're failing as an elder.

I told her I have things to do later.

Wait, what's going on with you two?

Now you're drawing a line?

You were protecting her so much
when people were around.

You two couldn't stop talking
during dinner.

She's different from the others.

Different how?

Don't give me that smirk.

I see her as half a protege.

Management consulting
is basically partners

leading their own teams into the field.

I need my own trusted people.

The ones before weren't cutting it.

Finally found someone with both
emotional intelligence and ability.

Of course, I'm going to lock her down.

So are you going to bring her
into your Monte Cristo Plan?

Not yet. Let's develop her first.

We'll see if she's up to it.

Now I'm a partner,
I'll need one or two trusted people.

Not company people. Mine personally.

And you could be that person.

But whether it works out or not
depends on you.

Working for a partner of
C&C Consulting for a year

will teach me more than three years
of figuring things out on my own.

The sooner I become a consultant,

the closer I get to my dream
and my mom's old apartment.

I've been trying hard to become
a qualified consultant as soon as I can.

Not just for the money
and my mom's old apartment.

I also hope that one day,

I can be as strong and smart as you,

stay calm, and handle anything with ease.

Hello?

I'm almost done
with the Ande Energy contract.

But Mr. Pi is planning
to add Lu Le to the project.

Lu Le is close with Lin Long.

Do you think she'll stir up trouble
on my project because she resents you?

Should I have Ande Energy reject her?

Why bother? First,

you need to trust that Maxmise consultants
are professional enough.

Second, she's been helping
Lin Long all this time

and still couldn't touch me. Right?

Third, even if she tries something,

responding after she makes her move
puts you in a higher position.

That's true.

One of the reasons I like you

is that communication
with you is so efficient.

-Bye.
-Hold on.

I actually have something
I want your advice on.

If, just if,

a really tempting opportunity
comes your way,

and you've already said yes,
but afterwards, you feel it's risky,

-would you regret it?
-No.

Because my instincts
already made the call.

And honestly, you don't get
many lucky breaks in life.

Miss one and it's gone.

So what if there's risk?

We're still young. We can afford to lose.

Yeah.

-Thanks.
-Bye.

{\an8}BOLO CULTURE, MAXMISE CONSULTING

Thanks.

-Great!
-Pleasure working with you.

I landed this project with Bolo Culture.

But that's just the first step.

I will become who you are now.

I definitely will.

-Dad! Mom!
-Tianna.

Watch where you're going!

What's wrong?

What's wrong, Nana?

You love Zhang's crispy pastries.

I drove out of my way to buy them,

and this little brat
knocked them all over.

What little brat?

That's your brother.

Yeah! I'm not a brat!

Honestly. Always causing trouble
when you're home.

Do you even act like an older sister?

Dad, I… I just gave him
a little talking-to.

I didn't even hit him.

How is that causing trouble?

Why are you picking on our girl?

You haven't seen Nana in almost a month.

Have a good chat with her.

Okay.

-No, I don't want it!
-Xiaojie.

Nana. Here, have some food. Eat up.

You haven't been home in a while.

Have some food. It's your favorite.

Dig in.

It's the weekend tomorrow.

Go play some ball with your dad.

Mr. Huang will be there too.

His son is a year older than you.

He's a VP at an investment bank.

You young people should connect more.

Who knows, maybe his firm
could invest in yours.

If you want me to go on a blind date,
just say so.

Don't beat around the bush.

Besides, Maxmise
is a globally recognized consulting firm.

We don't need investment.

And VPs are a dime a dozen
at investment banks.

CEOs are everywhere.

Whether he's young and successful
is still up in the air.

How dare you talk
to your mother like that?

You…

You're not even as polite as Jie.

Yeah! So rude!

Bad Tianna!

-Eat up. Eat.
-Bad Tianna!

Anyway, you're coming with me
to see Mr. Huang tomorrow.

He's watched you grow up.

He wants to see you,
and you're making excuses.

What kind of behavior is that?

Who's the one behaving badly?

Bu Tianjie is young,
and he's already cursing at me.

Why aren't you doing anything about it?

I make a few casual remarks,
and you scold me.

Fine, I'll be direct.

I don't even know Mr. Huang,

and I'm not at the age
where I'm desperate to get married.

I'm not going on a blind date.

Alright, alright. Stop talking.

If you don't want to go, don't go.

Tell us about your work.

Let your dad give you some advice.

Yeah, yeah.

Go ahead.

Your mom said
you're about to sign a contract.

It's a strategic cooperation
with Ande Energy.

That project will probably
last a whole year.

Ande Energy?

Isn't that the company
Yan Hongjun just acquired?

That kid sure knows how to do me a favor.

I heard Hongjun's son made it
into one of the Red Circle law firms.

I heard that kid speaks great French.

Right?

Pretty impressive.

Should we sign Jie up
for a foreign language class?

I think he has great language skills.

Maybe French and German. Spanish too.

Can't let him fall behind already.

All the neighbor kids are taking classes.

Should we maybe…?

Dad, Mom. Work just called me.

I need to go back to the office.

You two enjoy your meal.

Hello?

Chi.

Come drink with me right now.

You…

I'll go with you.

No need.

You sure?

What if she gets drunk
and starts acting crazy?

Can you handle it alone?

Let's go.

Hey beautiful.

Want a drink?

-Still want one?
-Ow, ow.

Scram.

Why aren't you asking me why?

You'll tell me when you're ready.

I'm telling you,

I really wanted to get drunk tonight.

But there's this voice
in my head reminding me that

I haven't finished the recommendations
for the Ande Energy project.

What if I wake up
with a hangover tomorrow?

What do I do?

Worry about tomorrow when it comes.

I'll drink with you.

I brought a driver.

Easy.

Chi.

You're so good to me.

Of course I am.

I'm pretty, kind-hearted
and easy to push over.

I just don't have your figure.

Let me ask you something.

Do you really not remember
that time a few years ago

at Anyang Road subway station
when you helped someone?

Hel…

{\an8}FIVE YEARS AGO

{\an8}Where are you?

{\an8}Reply to me.

I haven't eaten in over 12 hours.

What's wrong? Are you okay?

I think I have low blood sugar.

Feeling a bit dizzy.

I just bought some orange juice.

Do you want some?

Have a little.

I also have bread and crackers.

Do you want some?

Easy, easy.

Slow down. Take your time.

Want some?

Thanks.

You… You're that girl who passed out?

The one with low blood sugar?

You're so slow.

Why did it take you this long
to figure it out?

Let me tell you something, Chi.

You saved me that day.

I'm going to be really,
really good to you from now on.

I'm in applied statistics.

Not answering directly?

Guess your school and name
aren't worth mentioning.

With this job market,

even Maxmise cut 10%
of their senior staff.

Since we're bound to compete,

why bother pretending to be all friendly?

You're pretty confident
in your abilities, huh?

MAXMISE, SHAPING THE FUTURE TOGETHER

Let me ask you.

Do you know why I was there that day?

How would I know?

I'll tell you.

What does this consent form mean?

You're making my mom risk
having a baby at her age?

Is having a son really that important?

-Na!
-Tianna!

Do you really have to have a son
to be the heir?

I'm already 20 years old.

My parents had a boy behind my back.

Why?

Am I not their beloved daughter?

Am I?

No, I'm not.

All they care about is their son.

What little brat?

That's your brother.

Honestly. Always causing trouble
when you're home.

Do you act like an older sister?

I have been pouring everything

into the Ande Energy project,
day and night,

just to prove to him

that I'm capable
of taking over his business.

But he…

He doesn't care at all.

Ande Energy?

Isn't that the company
Yan Hongjun just acquired?

That kid sure knows how to do me a favor.

He doesn't care about me at all.

-On their behalf, I'll apolo--
-Shut up!

Listen, I know exactly
what's on your mind.

You're thinking

that even if most of the Bu family money
goes to my brother,

some of it will still come to me, right?

You're thinking that money

would be enough to turn your whole
family's fortunes around, aren't you?

I'm sorry.

You're wrong.

I'm not that kind of person.

I don't have that much value to offer.

So wake up!

I don't need to wake up.

Because how much value you have
is for me to decide, not you--

You awake?

Okay.

Here.

Pour it on this jacket too.

Knowing you, you'll buy me
a new one anyway.

I could use a new one.

Why are you so guarded?

You really think everyone
is after your dad's money?

You are pretty and capable.

Can't I just be drawn to your personality?

-Here.
-Wake up.

Alright, alright. I'm waking up.

-Here.
-Do you know where she lives?

I've sent her something by courier before.

-Just head to Bairui Apartments.
-Okay.

Great. I was thinking about
getting you two a hotel room.

So you've helped her before.

No wonder she only likes you.

Do you really like her?

Who wouldn't like something beautiful?

What you do from now on
is not my business.

But don't you dare hurt her.

Otherwise…

Otherwise, I'll end up like Lin Long.

That's what you wanted to say, right?

I am indeed a scheming guy.

But I'm a different kind of scheming guy.

I don't have all those messy bad habits.

Whatever our relationship becomes,

at least for now,
I'm a decent male colleague, right?

Don't look at me like that.

It's creepy.

Alright. Get in.

Easy.

I'm not drunk.

-Can you make it up on your own?
-Don't…

Of course I can.

Okay.

Remember, no matter how bad things get,
you only get one night to indulge.

Because the sadness is temporary.

Your career is forever. Right?

Fine. Next time you're upset,

I'll comfort you the same way.

What are you dodging for?

I won't eat you alive.

Remember, I'm only paying
for dry cleaning on this jacket.

Forget the dry cleaning.

Just have a meal with me.

In your dreams.

Bye.

Take care.

You two…

Where are you going? Give me a ride.

-We're not going the same way.
-Don't use me and toss me aside.

We'll work together in the future.

Those two surveys Lin Long left behind
are now on my plate.

Let me know when you get there
tomorrow morning.

Okay.