Broker Episode 1 Recap
> Broker Recap
In a bustling American city, Zhou Xiaoshan and Mo Li, posing as siblings, executed a daring mission at a hotel, successfully acquiring a target USB drive. During their escape, Qiu Jianing was nearly struck by Zhou Xiaoshan. Zhou Xiaoshan later revealed to Mo Li that this mission was not assigned by Uncle Zha. He risked his life to expose an organization that was engaging in human trafficking under the guise of charity.
Meanwhile, Qiu Jianing confronted Professor Harry at his laboratory, demanding an explanation. Her research paper had been published in "Cure," an authoritative journal, but it was solely attributed to Professor Harry, despite being only a preliminary draft. She argued that publishing it prematurely would only make them a laughingstock. Professor Harry dismissed her concerns, stating that it was standard practice for the head of the laboratory to be credited, given his provision of equipment and funding.
He then provocatively claimed that without his patronage, a "black-haired, yellow-skinned, Chinese woman" like Qiu Jianing would never have her work published in such a prestigious journal. Infuriated by his racial discrimination and plagiarism, Qiu Jianing retorted that China's scientific research was growing stronger, unlike some "virtuous and prestigious" scientists who resorted to plagiarism to maintain their reputation. She demanded a sincere apology for his discriminatory remarks.
Unfazed, Professor Harry instead threatened her with her expiring visa, questioning her desire to remain in the country. Qiu Jianing, with conviction, declared she would no longer work with such a despicable man, warning him that his evil deeds would lead to his self-destruction. Back in China, at the Plan-O Laboratory, team leads Su Qian and Sun Lei were informed that two new researchers, recruited from overseas, would soon join the company. One of them was Qiu Jianing.
Upon her arrival at the airport, Zhu Zhu, an administrator for Plan-O Laboratory, greeted her. Zhu Zhu then escorted Qiu Jianing to the laboratory, where she was assigned to Su Qian's team. Qiu Jianing immediately expressed her eagerness to start working. Her seemingly mysterious and aloof demeanor sparked curiosity among her colleagues. Zhu Zhu privately informed Zheng Wei that Qiu Jianing's starting salary was higher than hers, advising Zheng Wei to be more proactive.
Su Qian then asked Zheng Wei to take Qiu Jianing to familiarize herself with the employee dormitories, a request Zheng Wei somewhat reluctantly accepted. Concurrently, Zhou Xiaoshan received a call from Zhu Zhu, confirming his recruitment to Plan-O, but he was still abroad. Zhu Zhu, smitten by his resume photo, was motivated by the arrival of such a handsome colleague. Zheng Wei led Qiu Jianing to the top-class employee dormitories provided for international staff.
Later, Su Qian revealed her intention to reassign some of Zheng Wei's ongoing experiments to Qiu Jianing, much to Zheng Wei's dismay, though Su Qian assured her that she had her own plans. Meanwhile, Zhou Xiaoshan, utilizing his exceptional photographic memory, thoroughly absorbed all available information about the Plan-O Laboratory.
Qiu Jianing, in a conversation, articulated her understanding that Plan-O aimed to elevate Chinese scientific research onto the world stage, emphasizing that Chinese experiments should primarily benefit the Chinese people first, to prevent future researchers from facing the same humiliation she did abroad. When Qiu Jianing attempted to ask Zheng Wei about some research materials, Zheng Wei was dismissive.
Later, in the tea room, Li Chunran kindly clarified Qiu Jianing's questions and explained that Zheng Wei, as Su Qian's confidant, likely felt threatened by Qiu Jianing's arrival. Qiu Jianing also realized the stark difference in convenience between domestic and international services, particularly regarding online shopping and delivery speeds, a "new four great inventions" in China. Her sister, Qiu Jiaxin, called from abroad, asking Qiu Jianing to translate a film school application for a friend.
Upon Zhou Xiaoshan's return to China, he found himself on the same public bus as Qiu Jianing. Noticing the "Cure" journal with Professor Harry's article in Zhou Xiaoshan's hands, Qiu Jianing recalled the professor's condescending words. Zhou Xiaoshan officially started at Plan-O and was assigned to Sun Lei's team, impressing everyone with his exceptional academic background from McKeeton University, including a Ph. D. in Molecular Biology. Sun Lei asked Zhou Xiaoshan for his thoughts on Professor Harry's recently published paper.
Before Zhou Xiaoshan could elaborate, Su Qian arrived with Qiu Jianing to greet Sun Lei. Qiu Jianing, sharing Zhou Xiaoshan's critical assessment, elaborated on the article's inaccuracies, emphasizing the importance of scientific rigor. However, she was cut short by Su Qian and led away, leaving Zhou Xiaoshan notably impressed by her insights. Qiu Jianing expressed her belief that Zheng Wei harbored animosity towards her and reiterated that she was there to work, not engage in office politics.
Su Qian, however, advised her that adults must learn to navigate interpersonal relationships, especially in professional settings where speaking out of turn, as Qiu Jianing had done earlier, was inappropriate. Qiu Jianing's stubbornness left Su Qian momentarily speechless, surmising that Qiu Jianing's years abroad might have detached her from local customs. Su Qian then simply told her to "speak less and do more" before dismissing her.
Separately, Qiu Jiaxin faced a reprimand from her supervising doctor, Qin Bin, after a patient, Mr. Zhang, experienced a severe spike in blood sugar. Qin Bin, mistakenly believing Qiu Jiaxin had given Mr. Zhang milk tea, angrily scolded her, leading Qiu Jiaxin to feel so humiliated that she threatened to abandon her degree. Back at the laboratory, Zhou Xiaoshan helped Qiu Jianing pay for her meal, as she was still unfamiliar with China's digital payment methods.
Later, Qiu Jianing commented on Zhou Xiaoshan's quicker adaptation to life in China compared to her own. Discussing Professor Harry's paper from that morning, Zhou Xiaoshan revealed his most significant doubt: the paper was fundamentally invalid due to inadequate cancer sample size and a lack of functional experiments. Qiu Jianing was surprised to find that his critical assessment perfectly aligned with hers, leading them to formally introduce themselves. Zhou Xiaoshan shared he held a Ph. D.
from McKeeton University, while Qiu Jianing had a Ph. D. from Ledril University and had previously conducted research in Professor Harry's laboratory. Zhou Xiaoshan wondered why she returned to China given the excellent experimental conditions abroad, but Qiu Jianing did not answer. Both lamented that despite their advanced degrees, they were currently assigned rudimentary tasks in their respective teams.
Zheng Wei, observing Qiu Jianing and Zhou Xiaoshan conversing and laughing, quickly reported their closeness to Su Qian, who decided she needed to "guide" Qiu Jianing further. Meanwhile, Mr. Zhang clarified to Qin Bin that Qiu Jiaxin had not given him milk tea, but rather an oatmeal drink when he craved milk tea due to his diabetes. Qin Bin realized he had unjustly accused Qiu Jiaxin.
Back at Plan-O, Su Qian advised Qiu Jianing to maintain a professional distance from Zhou Xiaoshan, emphasizing that they belonged to different teams. Qiu Jianing challenged this, stating Su Qian had no right to interfere with her personal life. Su Qian explained her concern stemmed from past negative experiences, clarifying that while she couldn't control Qiu Jianing's personal life, she felt obliged to offer her counsel.
Simultaneously, Zhou Xiaoshan discovered he couldn't access higher-level project data, a privilege reserved for team leaders. Li Chunran mentioned that Su Qian's access might soon be upgraded, as her team's progress report was more favorable than Sun Lei's, making their team more likely to lead the next phase of experiments.
