Are You Safe Episode 20 Recap
> Are You Safe Recap
Mu Tong returned home to find Chen Mo busy preparing a table full of delicious food. As she watched him, a sense of warmth filled her, though she also felt a touch of disbelief at her consistent happiness. Chen Mo explained that he had been helping Qin Huai with the Shepherd system and thanked Mu Tong for managing their housekeeping agency during his absence.
Mu Tong, happy to see his renewed collaboration with Qin Huai, playfully told him to stop being so formal. Qin Huai, Chen Mo, and Zhou You celebrated the successful upgrade of the Shepherd system. Qin Huai announced that the enhanced system, now capable of identifying and blocking malicious prize redemption accounts within five seconds, would be renamed "Super Shepherd."
Zhou You proudly reminded them that his initial foundational work was crucial for its rapid development, while Chen Mo added that he had completed the system's self-test module. Zhou You then informed them that the auto-tracking feature had already identified numerous bargain hunters, and he had passed their addresses to Guo Yao. Thanks to their collaborative efforts, the police successfully raided a scam operation. However, the leader, Mazi, managed to evade arrest.
Still at large, Mazi made an angry phone call to Ma Pingchuan, demanding two million yuan in cash as compensation for his captured men and their failed operation. He threatened to expose all of Ma Pingchuan's illicit activities to the police if his demands were not met within 24 hours. Just as Ma Pingchuan was on the phone, President Xu unexpectedly arrived, causing Ma Pingchuan to quickly end the call.
President Xu expressed his admiration for the recently popular Shepherd system and recognized Qin Huai as the skilled hacker who impressively breached HuCloud's three layers of security at its launch event. He then instructed Ma Pingchuan to invite Qin Huai to join their company, Hupo, and acquire the Shepherd system. Later that night, Ma Pingchuan was in his car with Mo Yizhong.
Ma Pingchuan's wife called to remind him about their daughter's class, and he responded as if everything was normal. Ma Pingchuan expressed frustration that all their data was supposed to be deleted, but Mo Yizhong explained that the upgraded Shepherd system, with its new tracking and automatic bug scanner, made it impossible for Mazi to hide. Ma Pingchuan, despite Mo Yizhong’s suggestion to leave, insisted on staying to observe Mazi.
They discussed whether Mazi, a known scoundrel, would keep his word after receiving the money, with Mo Yizhong even suggesting eliminating him. However, Ma Pingchuan dismissed the idea, stating they shouldn't go that far yet. Soon after, Mazi arrived. Mo Yizhong exited the car, carrying two boxes of money, and handed them to Mazi, warning him to uphold his end of the bargain. Mazi acknowledged the warning and drove away.
Ma Pingchuan invited Qin Huai to dinner, claiming he wanted to discuss Chen Mo. Qin Huai agreed, expecting Ma Pingchuan to bring up past grievances. Ma Pingchuan confirmed that their discussion involved Chen Mo and inquired about Qin Huai and Chen Mo's collaboration on the Shepherd software. Qin Huai affirmed their joint effort but questioned Ma Pingchuan's motives, asking if he was there to settle old scores.
Ma Pingchuan denied this, explaining that President Xu was highly impressed with Shepherd and wished to purchase it, and also held Qin Huai in high regard, hoping he would join Hupo along with the software. Qin Huai asked why Hupo, a major cybersecurity firm, would need Shepherd. Ma Pingchuan avoided a direct answer, instead promising that if Qin Huai agreed to the deal, President Xu would fully support Chen Mo's return to the Cybersecurity Association.
Qin Huai found this offer ironic and hypocritical, recalling how Chen Mo was ostracized when he was in trouble, only for those same people to now seek to cooperate after his success. Ma Pingchuan dismissed this by saying "that was then, this is now," suggesting that people should adapt and that this could be a growth opportunity for Chen Mo and the industry. Qin Huai, without revealing his true feelings, told Ma Pingchuan he needed time to consider the offer.
Qin Huai then met Chen Mo to discuss Ma Pingchuan’s offer. Qin Huai acknowledged Ma Pingchuan's shrewd business sense but suspected ulterior motives. He revealed that their investigation into the beverage factory incident uncovered a critical bug in Hupo's own security software, HuCloud, which allowed access to the factory's internal data, suggesting Hupo might be involved. Qin Huai also mentioned Ma Pingchuan’s additional incentive: ensuring Chen Mo's reinstatement into the Cybersecurity Association if they agreed to the sale.
Chen Mo was surprised that Ma Pingchuan remembered him, while Qin Huai expressed anger, revealing that Ma Pingchuan had repeatedly used Chen Mo's past as a negative example in his speeches over the years. Chen Mo, however, remained calm, stating that as long as Qin Huai understood his character, that was sufficient. Qin Huai pressed him, asking if he truly didn’t want another chance to clear his name.
Chen Mo firmly declined, declaring that they would not sell the Shepherd system. Ma Pingchuan reported to President Xu that Qin Huai was not interested in selling Shepherd or joining Hupo, instead expressing a desire for his company to grow independently and even surpass Hupo. Ma Pingchuan then suggested acquiring Qin Huai's company outright. President Xu, however, believed that Qin Huai's individuality was typical of talented young people and decided to reconsider the acquisition.
Later, President Xu instructed his associate to subtly guide Qin Huai's Shepherd system to discover a specific bug named "Tuesday" within Hupo's system. Despite the associate's question about the wisdom of revealing this bug, President Xu insisted on his plan. Qin Huai then addressed his team with two announcements.
First, he shared that they had received the final payment from the beverage factory and, in appreciation for everyone’s hard work and the company's growth, he was distributing red packets to all employees. The team reacted with enthusiastic cheers as Tang Lin handed out the bonuses. For his second announcement, Qin Huai declared the need for a new management position in the technical department due to the company's expansion.
He then formally invited a visibly stunned Zhou You to become a partner and technical director of Kai Gua Le. His colleagues congratulated him, urging him to accept. Qin Huai explained that Zhou You's significant contributions to the bargain hunt case made him the ideal choice, asserting that he was already considered a partner. Zhou You, still processing the news, eventually accepted and began to relish his new leadership role.
When Chen Mo arrived and inquired about the commotion, Qin Huai tried to offer him a red packet, but Chen Mo politely declined, stating he only wanted to help with Shepherd’s upgrade. Chen Mo then expressed his intent to focus on "parsing Arsenal" now that Shepherd's issues were resolved. Embracing his new role, Zhou You confidently instructed his team to tackle future challenges, assuring them he would address any problems they encountered.
Zhou You's initial excitement about his promotion quickly soured as he noticed the close working relationship between Qin Huai and Chen Mo. Observing Qin Huai's thoughtful gesture of ordering a specific low-sugar hazelnut latte for Chen Mo, Zhou You felt increasingly marginalized. His insecurity grew when Tang Lin remarked that Qin Huai's promotion of Zhou You might have been a consequence of Chen Mo's arrival.
Feeling left out, Zhou You confided in Grey Heron via text, revealing that Qin Huai and Chen Mo spent all their time in a secret room in Qin Huai's office, studying information related to the "Vengeance" virus. Zhou You believed they were trying to clear Chen Mo's name by identifying the virus's original spreader, and he wanted to join them but felt Qin Huai deemed him not capable enough.
Grey Heron suggested he parse out the data on his own to prove his abilities. Motivated to show his worth, Zhou You covertly entered the secret room at night to copy the virus data. However, as he attempted to transfer the files, the data inexplicably began to delete itself. Qin Huai and Chen Mo walked in on him. Panicked, Zhou You tried to stop the deletion, but it was too late.
Chen Mo quickly intervened, terminating the process, but a significant amount of data had already been lost. Zhou You, tearfully apologizing, explained that he downloaded the software from a forum and was only trying to help, unaware it contained a virus. Chen Mo hypothesized that it was simple malware with a single deletion function, which likely bypassed antivirus scans due to its low technical complexity. Qin Huai, furious, demanded Zhou You take responsibility.
Zhou You pleaded for a chance to redeem himself, offering to make amends. Qin Huai sternly instructed him not to leave but to stay and recover the lost data by morning.
